I recently finished reading Nancy Werlin’s YA novel, Impossible. It’s a contemporary fantasy story that finds 17-year-old Lucy contemplating a family curse, an evil Elfin Knight, three seemingly impossible tasks and the ultimate power of true love.
I really wanted to love this book. It had every I like: a love story, faeries and fantasy, a challenge to tackle, and a happy ending. It received great reviews ( 4.5 stars from Amazon.com customers and an endorsement from Gregory Maguire) and several awards: School Library Journal Best Book of 2008, a Booklist Editor’s Choice for 2008, and a Kirkus Reviews Best YA book of 2008. Werlin herself is a National Book Award finalist. So, my expectations were high.
Alas, I felt the book fell a bit short. I certainly enjoyed it – I finished reading it in one night. And I probably would recommend it to others. But something about the book just didn’t fit. The plot overview implied that Lucy’s story was mostly about finding a way to complete the three tasks. Yet the tasks – and the curse that surrounds them – aren’t mentioned until nearly half-way through the book. So much time is spent setting up the plot that, by the time I got there, I was wondering what took so long.
When Lucy finally does start to complete the tasks, it’s almost an afterthought. While of course I wanted the protagonist to triumph, I felt it was almost too easy, a forgone conclusion. It seemed improbable that the solutions to the tasks would come so easily, as if generations of Lucy’s family had simply been looking in the wrong places. It also didn’t help that I never felt as if Lucy were in danger from the evil Elfin Knight. A couple of times, I laughed out loud because I, as a reader, wasn’t remotely intimidated by him. The sense of danger and foreboding just wasn’t there.
I still think, however, that Werlin wrote a good book. Good, but not great. Perhaps the YA demographic – the novel’s intended audience – would like this book more. She did do an impressive amount of research into folk songs and ballads to add depth to the story. And most of the characters were realistic and believable. Werlin’s handling of the rape storyline was well-done and graceful; it wasn’t overly dramatic or too simplistic. I also appreciate the balance between the real and the fantasy. Lucy and her family tackles the tasks, but with a healthy dose of skepticism.
I’d definitely recommend Impossible to its YA audience, but adults might want to wait to get the paperback from the library.
[Photo Credit: Kent District Library]
