I had never read a novel by Alyson Noel until a couple of months ago when I read Evermore, and I was definitely stricken by the conversational flow of language, the beautifully written dialogue, and realistic portrayal of high school students. Then, I was fortunate enough to snag an advanced copy of Blue Moon, which is even better than Evermore. But I was aware she had written books other than those in the best-selling Immortals series. So I got to exploring, and I’ve found I love Noel’s other novels just as much.
Saving Zoe, published in 2007, is the story of Echo, a freshman in high school who is still living in the shadow of her popular, beautiful, and fun-loving sister, Zoe, even a year after her brutal murder. Now attending the high school where only months ago, Zoe stole the spotlight, Echo is confronted by old ghosts, old memories, unwanted sympathy–and Zoe’s boyfriend Marc, who Echo’s parents blame for their daughter’s murder.
However, Echo’s life changes even more when Marc gives Echo Zoe’s diary, and she discovers there was more to her sister than she and her parents ever imagined. With the help of Zoe’s diary, along with Marc, Echo uncovers the secret of her sister’s murder, finds evidence of a tragedy that struck Zoe’s life even before her death, and finally, a year after Zoe’s untimely death, gets to know her sister.
Saving Zoe has more to offer than most teen books on the market today. Amid shelves flooded with romance and action, Saving Zoe is so much more–a profundity that leaves the reader with real issues to consider, wondering “what if” and “if only” days after closing the book. Even the title of the book, Saving Zoe, is profound because while no one was actually able to save Zoe from herself in life, Echo is able to preserve Zoe’s memory after her death. And ironically, Zoe, through a written record of that last few months of her life, is seemingly able to reach beyond death to save Echo from a fate similar to her own.
Not surprisingly, Saving Zoe is filled with the beautiful writing I have come to expect from Alyson Noel, along with perfectly structured prose that keeps me turning page after page. Saving Zoe is the perfect mixture of heartache and heart swells that left me to devour the entire novel in one sitting. So once again, praise for Alyson Noel, whose writing always leaves me with a world of thoughts to consider. I highly recommend this read, along with Faking 19 and Art Geeks and Prom Queens, in addition to the Immortals series.
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