Review and Giveaway: The Tension of Opposites

25th
May 2010
  • Title: The Tension of Opposites
  • Author: Kristina McBride
  • Genre: Young Adult Fiction
  • Publisher: EgmontUSA
  • Pub Date: May 25, 2010
  • ISBN: 978-1606840856
Comments 38 Comments

When Tessa’s best friend Noelle disappears right before the start of eighth grade, Tessa’s life changes completely–she shies away from her other friends and stops eating in the cafeteria. Now, two years later, Noelle has escaped her captivity and is coming home, in one piece but not exactly intact, and definitely different. Tessa’s life is about to change again as she tries to revive the best-friendship the two girls had shared before Noelle–now Elle–was kidnapped; puts up a futile resistance to the charming new guy at school; pursues her passion for photography while trying to build the bravado to show her photos to the public; and tries to balance her desire to protect and shelter Elle with the necessity to live her own life and put herself first.–From Amazon

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride was a Waiting on Wednesday pick recently. It was released today (but I got my copy yesterday). If you’re on Twitter, go wish @McBrideKristina a happy book birthday. I read the book almost straight through; McBride jumps right into the thick of things, and the pace of the story makes it hard to put down.

The book lived up to my expectations, and its title, by offering a balance of light and dark elements. Given the book’s focus on photography, it is appropriate that it has its own sense of chiaroscuro. The edginess of Noelle’s kidnapping and return are contrasted by the normalcy of Tessa and Max’s relationship and other typical high school melodrama. I enjoyed both sides of the book, and only wish that there was more!

Considering the recent sentencing of Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapper, this book offers a timely message that children who are kidnapped are often kept alive and depend on their own smarts and the vigilance of others to gain freedom. Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard are both excellent examples of people like Noelle who were forced to live with their captors for years before escaping, and like Noelle, they show that there are strong psychological repercussions of kidnapping that must be dealt with in the aftermath.

I liked that the book was told from the perspective of Tessa rather than Noelle. I was curious about why McBride made that choice, and glad that the question was answered in an interview at The Hiding Spot: Interview with McBride. There’s another great interview at Authors Now: Author Spotlight on McBride. The second interview, which is particularly helpful for those who might want to use this book in a classroom or book McBride for a speaking engagement, also features a giveaway. I’ll include the details for my giveaway below, but it doesn’t hurt to enter there for another chance to win The Tension of Opposites.

Even beyond the writing, this is a gorgeous book. I’m in love with the cover, and the chapter header images and scene separators are also quite lovely. These all tie in to the element of photography within the book, as Tessa often uses her hobby to hide behind the lens rather than face the real world. Readers who are interested in this element might also enjoy Flash Burnout.

Though it pains me a little bit to give away my copy, I’d like to pass it on to another reader. This contest is not going to last long, because I’d like the next reader to get the book fairly close to the release date. I hope whoever wins will consider sharing the book with somebody else after they are done reading. See details for the giveaway below.

The Tension of Opposites Giveaway Details: Contest Ends at 12:01 AM on June 12

  • To enter, leave a comment with two words that are opposites (antonyms). Try to make them unique, not something that has been left in a previous comment.
  • For extra entries, you can tweet or blog about this giveaway. (Or use whatever other social networking site you prefer.) Leave a link for each mention in separate comments for them to be counted.
  • One commenter will be randomly chosen by random.org to win a hardcover copy of the book.
  • Make sure you leave a way for me to reach you if you win.
  • This contest is U.S. only.
  • You must be 13 or older to enter.
  • While you do not have to become a member or subscriber to win this contest, I would encourage you to do so in order to get information about some other upcoming giveaways I have planned.
  • I would also like to add a reminder that the Gimme a Call Giveaway is still going until June 1.

The winner of this giveaway was announced here.

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Filed under: Book Review, Contest

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