Maise's life is fairly standard up until her accident. She has a boyfriend, a best friend, and parents who fight frequently. When her face and part of her body get burned in an electrical fire, she qualifies for a face transplant as she recovers. After the transplant, Maise can no longer recognize the face in the mirror or the person behind it.

Alyssa Sheinmel's FACELESS is a beautiful, messy, and brilliant story of a person struggling to find her identity after part of her face is changed to someone else's. The story never shies away from any of the hard issues Maise faces. She doesn't know how to adjust to a different life, how to face her friend and boyfriend, or even herself, and she struggles to accept how drastically her life has changed.

There are incredible nuances in the relationships in this book. Maise's best friend and boyfriend both react to her change in different ways, and Maise isn't sure how to act towards them anymore. She's much angrier, and she is changing from the person she was. Neither the best friend nor the boyfriend handle the situation completely perfectly or horribly. Like the majority of human relationships, these are messy, sometimes uncomfortable, often harsh, but not without room for kindness and love. Above all, these characters are believable and feel more and more realistic as the story progresses.

Most notable is the character of Maise herself. There are few emotions she doesn't experience in her journey. Her development will have readers questioning just how much self-identity we find in our own reflection, and what might happen should that reflection change. Maise is angry, confused, upset, and has no desire to become a life lesson for anyone.

I can't recommend FACELESS enough. The strong voice from Alyssa Sheinmel, the powerful themes, and the rich character nuances make this a must read.