Billingsley, Franny. Chime. Dial Books, 2011. 361 pages, $17.99 ISBN: 9780803735521 (trade)
Plot
Summary:
Briony lives in the
secluded Swampsea with her father the town minister and her mentally
handicapped twin sister, Rose during the early 20th century. Briony is fulled with guilt and self loathing
believing she is a witch responsible not only for her sister’s condition, but
also her stepmother’s death. Briongy
knows she must never reveal her true witchy self or she will be hanged, which
is why she no longer visits the swamp and the benevolent spirits who live
there. Then the handsome and joyous
Eldric comes to stay with her family Briony is drawn out of her self-hatred as
her friendship with Eldric blossoms in love.
Briony even begins visiting the swamp again. When Briony’s past comes back to haunt her
she will do anything to protect Eldric and her sister, even if it means
sacrificing herself.
Critical
Review:
Billingsley’s Chime is a seductive mystery that will
continue to seduce readers even after they have finished the last page. Briony reveals small pieces of herself
throughout the story. Slowly the reader
learns how much Briony hates herself and how much guilt she carries with her,
blaming herself for Rose’s mental condition.
Briony claims to be a child of evil, but as her story unfolds reader
will slowly understand that Briony is simply another victim. Chime is
a dark romance that confronts issues of abuse, guilt, and forgiveness.
Genre:
Fantasy
Mystery
Romance
Interest
Level:
Grade 9 and up
Similar
Books:
The
Scorpio Races Maggie Stiefvater
Subjects/Themes:
Guilt
Sisters
Witches
Awards/Honors:
Booklist Editors Choice Books for Youth 2011
Booklist Top SF/Fantasy for Youth 2011
Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children’s
Literature 2012 Honor Book
Horn Book Fanfare 2011
Kirkus Best Books for Young Adults 2011
National Book Award Finalist, 2011
School Library Journal Best Books 2011
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012
Author’s
Website:
Annotation:
Briony is plagued with guilt because she believes
she is a witch, but not all is as it seems in the Swampsea. With the arrival of the handsome Eldric the
mysterious of Briony’s past begin to unravel.
Book
Talking Ideas:
Briony is the beautiful and intelligent daughter of
the minister in the Swampsea. She should
be out socializing and being courted by the local young men, but Briony keeps
to herself and spends all her time caring for her twin sister Rose who has a
mental condition. Briony blames herself
for Rose’s condition and for the recent death of her stepmother. Briony know that all the bad things that
befall her family are her fault because she is a witch. Briony finally finds cause to be happy when
the handsome Eldric comes to stay with the family. Though Briony does not believe to be
deserving of love, she is falling in love with Eldric and finds she will
sacrifice herself to protect him if she must.
Why
I chose to include this book:
I included this book because it was one of my
favorite books I’ve read this year.
Billingsley’s writing and storytelling is seductive and pulls readers
in.
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