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.
While on a run one day, Maise gets into a terrible accident. A hot-burning
electrical fire consumes her, destroying her face. Where her nose, cheeks, and
chin used to be, now there is . . . nothing.
She is lucky enough to qualify for a face transplant. But with someone else\'s
features staring back at her in the mirror, Maise looks -- and feels -- like a
stranger. The doctors promised that the transplant was her chance to live a
normal life again, but nothing feels normal anymore. Before, she knew who
she was -- a regular girl who ran track and got good grades, who loved her
boyfriend and her best friend. Now, she can\'t even recognize herself.
From Alyssa Sheinmel, the acclaimed author of Second Star, comes a gripping
and gorgeously written tale of identity and love. This is a story of losing
yourself, and the long, hard fight to find your way back.
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