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The Lost Girl

Sangu Mandanna

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Jul 06, 2012 Mir rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, science-fiction

Mandanna does a good job portraying her characters' feelings and relationships, especially Eva's fear and resentment at her untenable situation. The unsympathetic characters also have dimensions beyond merely being mean to the protagonist. She even has a romance that develops gradually out of two individuals (gasp!) knowing one another over time! And her writing is fine. I wish she had written a different book.

If, like me, you pick this up out of topical interest, you are going to be disappointe ...more

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Oct 22, 2013 Nadine in NY Jones rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, dystopian-and-post-apocalyptic, retelling-a-classic

I really enjoyed this book, it was different, and well-written, and had plenty of unexpected turns, with fascinating characters ... all that good stuff ... but I didn't LOVE it, because when it was all over, I was left with the feeling that "there's no there there."

I'd like to mention that I think the book blurb above on GR gives away too much of the plot - a lot of the "unexpected" turns would be perfectly expected by anyone who just read that blurb. Also, this would be a GREAT choice for a bo I really enjoyed this book, it was different, and well-written, and had plenty of unexpected turns, with fascinating characters ... all that good stuff ... but I didn't LOVE it, because when it was all over, I was left with the feeling that "there's no there there."

I'd like to mention that I think the book blurb above on GR gives away too much of the plot - a lot of the "unexpected" turns would be perfectly expected by anyone who just read that blurb. Also, this would be a GREAT choice for a book club read - there are many choices characters would make for involved discussions, plus the whole "is this even ethical?" question.

Our heroine, who chooses the name Eva for herself (perhaps an unfortunate choice from my perspective: I kept hearing this said in Wall-E's voice!), is an echo. She is a clone created by The Loom, so that if the original copy (Amarra) dies, Eva can step in and fill the gap, and the loved ones will still have someone to love. If you think too hard about this, you realize how it doesn't make any sense, but that's okay, because part of the story is about how it doesn't really work.

Eva is raised in England (in the Lake District, I think? at any rate, she lives in a cottage on a lake. My American brain kept thinking she was in Wisconsin. close enough!), and Amarra lives in Bangalore, India. It was refreshing to read a dystopian that is not set in America.

The blurb on the back cover bills this as a star-crossed romance, and while there are romantic elements in the plot, I would not call this a romance at all. The main story is: Eva is raised as an echo and has to deal with the repercussions of being a copy of someone else, and the hate and revulsion that many in general society feel towards echos.

Things I liked:
This is set in the near future (maybe 20 years in the future - I think the books says, but I can't remember) and it feels very real. The Loom operated as a secret group for most of its 200 years of existence, only recently coming out into the public eye.
All of the characters, including the auxiliary supporting characters, felt real and three-dimensional and unique.
The tension caused by Amarra hating her echo.
I never quite knew where this book was going next - every plot turn was unexpected. I liked the unpredictableness.
Bonus points for attempting a modern re-write of Frankenstein.

Things I didn't like:
While on the surface it all worked, details didn't add up. (For example, if Amarra calls potato chips "chips" then why did they allow Eva to grow up calling them "crisps"?)
The whole "reading Frankenstein is forbidden!" didn't really make sense.
In the end, I was left wondering what the point was; this book just didn't grab me.

I look into the mirror and wonder if I am looking at her. What is this power the dead have over the ones they leave behind? It's strange and beautiful and frightening, this deathless love that human beings continue to feel for the ones they've lost.
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Mar 01, 2015 Debbie is on Storygraph rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, library, science-fiction, 2015

When I first started looking for speculative fiction by non-white authors, this book was on several lists as one to read. And rightly so - it blew me away. I suppose, technically, it's a young adult book, but I didn't realize that until I was finished, and this book clearly exemplifies that YA can tackle complex and philosophical issues.

Like, what makes somebody human? What makes somebody an individual?

Eva is an echo, a clone-like being who is created for the sole purpose of replacing their othe ...more

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