Review: White Lines by Jennifer Banash

6 March, 2013 Reviews 6 comments

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: White Lines by Jennifer BanashWhite Lines by Jennifer Banash
Series: Standalone
Published by Putnam Juvenile on April 4th 2013
Pages: 304
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Amazon Good BooksBook Depository
Goodreads
three-stars

A gritty, atmospheric coming of age tale set in 1980s New York City.
Seventeen-year-old Cat is living every teenager’s dream: she has her own apartment on the Lower East Side and at night she’s club kid royalty, guarding the velvet rope at some of the hottest clubs in the city. The night with its crazy, frenetic, high-inducing energy—the pulsing beat of the music, the radiant, joyful people and those seductive white lines that can ease all pain—is when Cat truly lives. But her daytime, when real life occurs, is more nightmare than dream. Having spent years suffering her mother’s emotional and physical abuse, and abandoned by her father, Cat is terrified and alone—unable to connect to anyone or anything. But when someone comes along who makes her want to truly live, she’ll need to summon the courage to confront her demons and take control of a life already spinning dangerously out of control.

Cat’s struggle to escape the pull of her abusive mother coupled with her fear of closeness, combined with the bustling setting of downtown New York in the 1980s, gave White Lines the potential to powerfully impact the reader. Instead, I found it flatlined, meandering from one conviction to another just like its disoriented heroine.

Cat is surrounded by interesting people, all with their own damages. Julian harbors a traumatic relationship history, Angela is a paradox of doll-like perfection and desire to rebel, Giovanni appears cheery but is in actuality isolated and desperate. All of the characters had so much depth, but reading about them was like looking at a flashlight through a frosted pane of glass. The effect of their glow was dulled by the narrative.

This could be due to the dialogue which was rarely strong, and more often formulaic. Think a vague statement, followed by a short question, ending in some showy answer. For example, when Julian asks Cat about her past, she says she might tell him when she knows him better.

“So will I?” He asks.

“Will you what?” …

“Get to know you better.”

Maybe this was done multiple times for dramatic effect, to add a pause and build tension. For me it just made things choppy and repetitive.

Beginning this book, I really wanted to see it resolve with explosive character development for Cat. I was excited for her to find her own strength and progress forward. While the ending was realistic and true to the story, I felt like White Lines could have left me with chills, but failed to dig deep enough.

I’m not sure I would recommend this one, because although it kept me interested, depending on what mood your in, it could not be what your looking for. It vaguely reminds me of Girls by Blake Nelson, possibly because of the narrative voice, even though the actual similarities are few.

Maybe you’ll become bored by the dialogue as well, or while you’re reading you’ll fantasize about a scene where Cat realizes her full strength. Though certain moments in the book brought her close, without that powerful crescendo, the story lacked durability.

Adrienne Fray

Adrienne Fray

Reviewer at Cuddlebuggery
Born and raised in the middle of a desolate expanse of prairie land, Adrienne has learnt quickly that there are only two options for a happy survival: read constantly, or become very, very bored. Find her on GoodReads.

6 Responses to “Review: White Lines by Jennifer Banash”

  1. Kate C.

    Man, that bums me out, because I was initially excited by this one.  I love the spoiled girl turns it around story.  🙁  Instead it just seems like this book failed in the spark dept somehow?
    Thoughtful review.  I liked it.

  2. Danny_Bookworm

    I was actually looking forward reading this and I might not be so annoyed by the dialogue. I rather prefer more dialogue than too little. But, at least now I’m warned 🙂

  3. Renae M

    Hmm! I’ve been waiting for the reviews for this book to come in, but this is a bit upsetting. A meandering, aimless main character plus stilted dialogue does not a good book make.

  4. tonya at TMG

    I just got this one from NetGalley as well. Sorry to hear you were disappointed with the dialogue; that is such a deal breaker for me in books. I need good dialogue to give the characters voices in my head. Sigh. Perhaps I’ll knock this one down the list a bit.
    Great review! 🙂

  5. indymia

    I feel like this is something where you could dig deep into the characters who seem to be rather complex but the novel just fails to do so. Either way, seems intriguing enough and like something I’d be in the mood to read despite it reading like a teen drama. To the tbr pile it goes.

  6. indymia

    I feel like this is something where you could dig deep into the characters who seem to be rather complex but the novel just fails to do so. Either way, seems intriguing enough and like something I’d be in the mood to read despite it reading like a teen drama. To the tbr pile it goes.

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