Book Review, Author Interview and Giveaway: The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson

It is October 19th and Destiny Faraday embarks on an unauthorized road trip with three boarding school classmates. Destiny feels like life has dealt her a bad hand and she wishes more than anything that she could experience just one fair day – a day where the good guy wins and everything adds up to something just and right.

THE MILES BETWEEN is difficult to summarize and review without giving too much away – and trust me, this is the type of novel you want to go into unspoiled. I can tell you that I loved it. Not only does it explore deep topics such as the nature of fate and the role of coincidence in our lives but it is also full of zany fun, gives us memorable characters (as well as a pet lamb), and has a plot twist that blew me away (seriously – my mouth was hanging open).

I read THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX shortly after, and I have to say, Mary E. Pearson knows how to deliver an intelligent, satisfying YA novel with mega crossover appeal. THE MILES BETWEEN should be a big hit when it comes out in September. It will definitely be on my year end best list.

For a bit more of what you can expect (but still, no spoilers), here's an interview with Mary:

I have kind of an obsession with coincidences which is what initially drew me to THE MILES BETWEEN. Do you have any crazy coincidences in your own life that you’d like to share?
I think I have the usual variety that most people have, the kind that make you pause for a moment and say, “wow, what are the chances?” Most, I have forgotten, but a few still remain with me, like the time I was invited to a party to meet my daughter’s future in-laws, and I discovered I already knew the mom! We had worked together years before our children were born. And then when we started comparing notes we found a dozen ways our lives kept intersecting over the years in near misses, even to the point of finding that we had their daughter on videotape for a dance recital both of our girls had been in when they were toddlers. My daughter was shocked to say the least.

Or there was the time when we first moved into our house which was in the middle of nowhere and I found out that my next-door neighbor went to the same high school I did and which was eighty miles and two counties away. Or one of the strangest, when both of my daughters were diagnosed with same serious illnesses on the exact same date, six years apart. You do have to scratch your head, and say, huh? And of course, I remember back in high school whenever my friends and I said the same thing at the same time we would shout “you owe me a Coke!” like there was some weird cosmic magic in it all.

Many people say if an author concocts a plot with a lot of coincidences, it’s lazy writing. What would be your response to that?
I would have to agree with them completely! If a coincidence isn’t earned, that is, it is a “deus ex machina” plot device that a writer uses when they get stuck and don’t know what else to do, that is at least clumsy, if not lazy. But this story was about coincidence and I think from the very beginning the reader is on that journey with me, picking up on some of the clues that hint that there is more to this than meets the eye, so the coincidences don’t come completely out of left field. I also think that coincidence can very much be in the eye of the beholder–one person may pay attention to every unexpected detail in life and attribute great meaning to it, while another person shrugs it off as completely explainable. I tried to play with those two viewpoints in the story so we are never really sure where fantasy and reality meet. Ha! Much like real life, right?

I had a really hard time placing the story - it could have been in any English speaking country. Did you do that on purpose?
Yes! As much as possible I wanted to create a surreal setting so you’re not sure if you’re standing on terra firma or not, or at the very least you are not sure what world or time you have stepped into. I think the definition of slipstream literature, the “fiction of strangeness” certainly fits this story. Slipstream literature creates a certain cognitive dissonance, so I tried to make the setting echo that feeling.

Road trip time! A big pink Cadillac is left running in front of your house. Who are you going to take with you, and where are you going to go?
Oh, you are too kind! Yay! Grab the hubby and kids and head for Palm Springs (this is a convertible, right?) First stop, strawberry ice cream–a drive-through if we can find one–because we don’t want to get out of this fabulous car. Next leg, a drive along the California coast. Big Sur! Malibu! Oh! Pismo Beach where we can drive the car on the sand! And last but not least, a cruise down Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, because a car like that must have a chance to strut!

What is your take on the current state of YA novels? Do you agree that we experiencing a young adult renaissance? Would books that came out 15-20 years ago survive in the market if they were released now?
Yes! If you mean that the world is discovering by leaps and bounds the joy of YA literature. I think there is an ever-widening circle of YA readers. It seemed not that long ago, that the majority of YA was read by middle-schoolers, and perhaps by a few avid high school readers who sought it out on their own via their high school librarians. But I think more and more high school teachers are making time for YA literature in their classrooms, and of course there is now a proliferation of teen reading sites online which helps spread the word about teen books. And it is certainly not just for teens anymore. This past year I visited with several adult book clubs who were reading my book, so many adults outside of the industry are discovering YA literature too.

I think many of the books from 15-20 years ago ARE surviving and are still much beloved, The Outsiders, My Brother Sam is Dead, The Chocolate War, The Pigman, Weetzie Bat, just to name a few. Of course, many of the books from twenty years ago published in today's market might not make it, but that doesn't discount at all the contribution they made to literature or the foundation they laid. They broke ground that may now be well tread, but they did it first. Without them we would not have the books we are enjoying today.

Thank you Mary! Visit Mary online at http://marypearson.livejournal.com/

And now, because I am sure after reading my review and interview you simply cannot wait until September to get your hands on this novel, I am pleased to announce that Henry Holt is generously donating advanced reader copies to 5 lucky winners. All you have to do to enter is tell me about a coincidence that happened in your own life (or, if you'd rather, you can tell me about your dream road trip). The first person to respond is an INSTANT WINNER of one copy (previous instant winners may NOT claim a second instant win - let's spread the wealth).

As always, earn 1 extra entry by linking to this contest from your blog (sidebar is fine) or social media site (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.) and leaving an extra comment telling me you did so.

This contest is open to those with shipping addresses in the US and Canada and ends on July 21st at 11:59 CST. Good luck!

P.S. And yes, that is a new cover - different from the one on the ARCs.