Review: Blind Spot by Laura Ellen

Blind Spot

Author: Laura Ellen

Publication Date: October 23rd, 2012

Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books

Genre: Contemporary / Realistic Fiction

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Synopsis:

There’s none so blind as they that won’t see.

Seventeen-year-old Tricia Farni’s body floated to the surface of Alaska’s Birch River six months after the night she disappeared. The night Roz Hart had a fight with her. The night Roz can’t remember. Roz, who struggles with macular degeneration, is used to assembling fragments to make sense of the world around her. But this time it’s her memory that needs piecing together—to clear her name . . . to find a murderer.

This unflinchingly emotional novel is written in the powerful first-person voice of a legally blind teen who just wants to be like everyone else.

My Thoughts: This was such an enjoyable book. I had a really hard time setting it down because I needed to know who did it (even though I thought I knew the whole time, I was wrong!!!!) There were a couple of things that irritated me, but not too badly. I really like Laura Ellen's writing style and you could tell that she knew a lot about Roz's disability (since she has experience with it herself). I felt bad for Roz. Having bad vision myself (not as bad as her) I hate not being able to see things, I will actually get depressed if something happens to my glasses because not being able to see more than a foot in front of your face clearly, sucks. It's no blind spot, but still irritating in it's own way, so I was able to connect with Roz, if not completely understanding her vision issues.

Roz is mostly your typical teenager. She doesn't like to accept help from others regarding her vision problems, and hates the word "disabled". So when she is put into the Special Ed class against her wishes, she does everything she can, and fails, to get out of the class. She meets and somewhat becomes friends with Tricia, and then Tricia goes missing. Roz thinks she just ran away until her body shows up, but she can't remember what happened that night. We follow Roz as she leads up to and after the death of Tricia, as she tries to figure out exactly where she messed up (Roz made a lot of poor decisions) and to figure out the truth.

Alright, so I said there was a couple of things that irritated me, not enough to discourage me from reading obviously. Firstly, just because a girl talks to a guy a lot does NOT mean they are involved. Even if they were once involved with them. Secondly, Mr. Dillian was a bully, there was no excuse for his behaviour and even after all was said and done, I still disliked him for how he treated Roz. I would literally get into rage mode reading about his treatment of her, he was way too harsh. Yes, I realize that was the way he was supposed to be written, but I can still hate on his fictional self.

Overall, Blind Spot  is a fast paced read. If you're someone who enjoys a little mystery with your realistic fiction, you should enjoy this. I will definitely be recommending this one, I think Laura Ellen has made a wonderful debut into the writing world and I hope she will continue! It will keep you on your toes (and the ending isn't as predictable as you'd think!)