Publishers Weekly
"Jude. Named after a song in the hope that I'd stand out and shine. But I didn't. Jude the Invisible. Jude the Obscure." British author Nadin's wrenching U.S. debut centers on 16-year-old Jude, a talented actress who feels outcast, alone, and out of place at school and at home, where the presence of her vibrant mother still lingers years after her death. Jude longs for the return of her brash childhood friend, Stella, and soon after, Stella pops back into Jude's life, helping Jude regain her confidence—even taking her place at a crucial acting audition—but also leading her down a path of self-destructive behavior. Observant readers will pick up clues in Nadin's prose that hint at the book's twist ending, but the author skillfully keeps the conclusion from feeling foregone, even with an opening scene that has Jude and Stella in a car about to head over a cliff. Indeed, even those who figure out Stella's secret before Jude does won't be disappointed in their final confrontation, and many will want to reread the book armed with their new knowledge. Ages 14–up. (Feb.)
MAY 2011 - AudioFile
Sarah Coomes’s narration keeps listeners squarely in the point of view of shy 16-year-old Jude, who wants to respond to the urgings of her rebellious friend, Stella—yet doesn’t quite dare to. Coomes’s reading carries nuances that will alert discerning listeners to the many facets of Jude’s character. They’ll observe Jude’s alternating envy and fear of her saucy friend. And they’ll wonder who exactly Stella is—a real cigarette-toting, vodka-swilling role model or the personification of Jude’s desire to break out of her life in a stifling English town and become an actress, as her mother once was? Coomes dramatizes the torment of being caught between the drive to discover oneself and the desire to protect oneself from taking risks. S.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
Stella first appeared shortly after Jude's mother died. Now that Jude is 16 and eager to escape her small English town and her classmates' torment, her childhood friend is back, "carrying cigarettes and sunglasses and possibility." Jude feels like a faded version of her actress mother, but Stella emboldens her to leave her self-imposed obscurity to audition at a London drama school. Jude wants to be Stella, who speaks in film lines, dresses provocatively and chides Jude for still being a virgin. Jude's internal world is a place of her own invention, where she took refuge after her mother's death. Nadin keeps the first-person narration squarely within this world, deftly weaving together the intricate parts of a psychological puzzle as she slowly reveals the true nature of the girls' relationship. Jude's voice is a blend of biting teen angst and fragile ego. When Stella tells Jude "there is no me without you," Jude is forced to come to grips with her recent gaps in memory and Stella's destructive influence. Teens harboring a secret wish to be anyone other than who they are will identify with Jude's struggle to shrug off her status as a misfit. A promising U.S. debut for teens—here's hoping for more from this British writer. (Fiction. 14 & up)
