Tell Me What You See - Softcover

Zoran Dvrenkar

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1904442552 ISBN 13: 9781904442554

Publisher: Chicken House, 2005

Synopsis

Berlin. The dead of night. Sixteen-year-old Alissa and her best friend Evelin make their secret Christmas pilgrimage to Alissa's father's grave. In the graveyard, Alissa falls through thick snow into an underground crypt. Searching for a way out, she discovers something else: out of the lid of a small coffin coils a strange black plant. Drawn closer, Alissa sees its roots embedded in a young child's heart. This chance encounter sets off a chain of nightmarish events that throw her life into turmoil. Haunted by angels, stalked by herx-boyfriend, only with Evelin's help can Alissa reclaim her sanity and discover the truth about her frightening new gift.

About this title

About the Author

Zoran Drvenkar lives in Berlin, Germany. He has worked as a freelance writer for fifteen years and published his debut novel in 1998. He has written more than 30 books for children, teenagers and adults.

Review

Kirkus STARRED review
10/15/05
In the icy-cold weeks after Christmas, Alissa's normal adolescent problems are overlaid with supernatural mysteries. On her annual Christmas pilgrimage to her father's grave, Alissa falls through the snow to the tomb of a dead boy with a plant growing from his chest. When Alissa, magically compelled, plucks and eats the plant, she finds herself afflicted with visions. She sees people walking down the street whom nobody else can see, people who turn into ravens and fly across the sky. Alissa's rotten ex-boyfriend is also affected by Alissa's new powers, and becomes a preternatural stalker, obsessed with Alissa and blessed or cursed with the ability to find her. Only her best friend Evelin can help Alissa hold herself together in an increasingly surreal world. Alissa's story is told in alternating chapters by different characters, and the down-to-earth perspectives of Evelin and Alissa's stepfather keep this lyrical tale grounded until the satisfying and surprising conclusion. (Fantasy. YA)
Voice of Youth Advocates
(December 1, 2005; 0-439-72452-X; 978-0-439-72452-4)

In his first novel translated into English from German, Drvenkar transforms his protagonist, Alissa, by giving her the ability to see and talk to the spirits of the dead. Her gift begins when she discovers a strange purple plant growing out of a child's coffin in a crypt. Upon opening the lid, Alissa discovers that the plant has grown right through the child's heart. The plant insinuates itself into Alissa's psyche, causing her to take it home with her and then ingest it. Not only can she then see what cannot be seen, but also anyone who kisses her becomes obsessed with her. Her ex-boyfriend Simon, angry at her rejection, forces a kiss on her and then cannot stop stalking her. Alissa's friend Evelin does not understand exactly what is happening to Alissa, but she sacrifices everything-even her life-to save her. Drvenkar writes an exciting and imaginative thriller. The novel unfolds at a swift pace, following Alissa through the darkness of her unwelcome new gift. Readers will also be drawn to the three-dimensional characters fleshed out as the point of view shifts from chapter to chapter. Young adults who are captivated by stories of the paranormal will enjoy this title.-Leslie Carter.

SLJ 2/1/06
DRVENKAR, Zoran. Tell Me What You See. tr. from German by Chantal Wright. 290p. Scholastic/The Chicken House. 2005. Tr $16.99. ISBN 0-439-72452-X. LC number unavailable.
Gr 8 Up Ever since Alissa's father died, she and her friend Evelin have made a midnight pilgrimage to his grave every Christmas. But this year Berlin is covered in snow, and while searching for the grave, Alissa falls into a crypt where she finds a child's coffin with a strange plant growing from it. Seduced by the plant, Alissa eats it and finds that it has given her powers. She can see strange people who transform into ravens, are invisible to everyone else, and who appear to comfort the dying. She also develops the ability to call back the dead, although she does not immediately realize what she is doing. Evelin watches in horror as Alissa seeks to figure things out and avoid her ex-boyfriend, who has become frighteningly obsessive. This is an odd, often confusing story in which much is left unexplained. The people Alissa sees are almost like angels, but they are cold and uncompromising; the plant was the dead boy's undeveloped gift,” but why his unfulfilled potential takes over Alissa or causes her to develop these abilities is unclear. Still, the ambience is undeniable, and the elements behind the supernatural mystery, such as Alissa's relationships with her mother and stepfather, are evocative and ring true. Readers seeking a truly unusual horror story may find some satisfaction, despite the flaws, but most will prefer Charles de Lint's The Blue Girl (Viking, 2004), whi

About this edition

• Publisher: Chicken House
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1904442552
• ISBN 13: 9781904442554
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304