‘Absolution’ is the sequel to ‘Apparition’, which I have unfortunately not had the pleasure to read. That said, I still immensely enjoyed ‘Absolution’, though I definitely missed some character development from the first book. Gail Gallant focuses on Amelia, a teenager who can see ghosts. There are two key problems that seem to be focused on, neither of them what I would have expected. Gallant works some mystery and suspense into this enthralling novel and kept me biting my nails to the last page. Though I found that there were many characters that were not at all developed, ‘Absolution’ had a great plot and was well written
Poor Amelia has a lot of decisions to make throughout this book. Her primary concern appears to be love. She is torn between Matthew, her deceased best friend, and Kip, a very live friend. Amelia manages to remain undecided for the majority of the novel. This initially seemed to be a love triangle but as I read it became clear that it wasn’t really a decision at all. It was more about letting go, as Opposed to choosing. And in the end, Amelia did let go of Matthew and choose Kip. Though this was a predictable ending it was very well written, and I admittedly did not see it coming.
Amelia’s other, less pressing concern was far more exciting and, in my opinion, more engaging than Amelia’s love life. She and her mentor discover a haunted house and spend much of the book figuring out who the ghost is, what she wants, and how it relates to the little dead girl in the woods. The mystery component of this novel was spectacularly played out, and I found myself emotionally attached to certain characters. I was, however, very surprised by the lack of interest Amelia had for the case. In fact, she seemed very nonchalant about seeing ghosts, which was unusual because normally paranormal novels really scope in on how the character feels about her life in the supernatural world. In this novel, we really got no sense of how Amelia felt about all of it, she seemed rather resigned about her gift rather than interested or scared. Though unusual, the overall effect was quite well done.
Gallant involves some key secondary characters to keep the plot flowing smoothly. Although these characters were clearly introduced in the first novel, I would have appreciated more character involvement, or development throughout the novel. Joyce, Amelia’s grandmother, is a great example of a neglected character. From the very beginning it is clear that Joyce is a strong character. She is firm and protective of Amelia, but she does nothing to contribute to the plot line but exist as Amelia’s disapproving guardian.
There are several other characters that we, as the reader, know lots about, but they are never utilized, such as Jack and Ethan. I feel like they must have been used in the first book, but were put in the second as place keepers, with no real purpose but to exist. I did not enjoy Amelia’s relationship with either of her brothers because I found it too stereotypical, and not very realistic. I think it would have been better had we known a little more about Amelia’s feelings, because we really don’t know very much about her personality.
Overall, ‘Absolution’ was an engaging story about letting go, finding yourself, and thinking outside the box. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the novel as well as the style of writing. Though Amelia is eloquently written about we really know nothing about her personally and that creates a gap between the reader and the story, like a third person observer. That being said, I still really liked the characters displayed in this novel, although again I feel I didn’t knew them very well. I loved how we learned about the supernatural world slowly, through casual comments, as opposed to a big explanation. The way it was presented made the whole book less intimidating and ultimately more enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Absolution’ and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a mystery with a paranormal blend and a little bit of romance.
Review by local teen Laura
This series should be coming soon to our library.
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