Review of "She Is Not Invisible"

"One final time I told myself I wasn't abducting my little brother."

     So begins Marcus Sedgwick's She Is Not Invisible. Laureth Peak is sixteen years old when her father goes missing. Although her mother doesn't seem to be worried, it's not in Dad's nature to ignore her phone calls while she's out of town. More importantly, his author notebook has been found in New York City--a far cry from Switzerland, where he said he'd be going. Panicked, Laureth does the only reasonable think she can think of: she whisks her brother off to America, where they'll attempt to track down their father on their own. The only catch? Laureth is blind, which means she's going to need more than a seven-year-old and his stuffed bird on her team if she's going to navigate the concrete jungle and find her dad. And in an unfamiliar land like New York, she isn't sure who she can trust. Assuming she can trust anyone at all.

     Laureth is a very intriguing character. She walks with a confidence that belies the unease that haunts her every step. Not because she's blind, though that is a factor, but because she's in over her head and knows it. New York is a big, and occasionally dangerous, place, and she has only one lead to go off of. Her strength, self-awareness, and relentless determination has forged her into a protagonist firmly grounded in believability, all the while leaving room for doubt and worry when dead ends and confusing leads begin hinting at terrible things happening to her dad. She's flawed, to be sure, yet this combines with her strengths to give her a delicious internal arc.

     Then there's Benjamin. Laureth's brother is a cute kid with a stuffed raven toy and a habit of making technology go haywire. Though simple enough on the personality front, Benjamin has a knack for lightening the mood of a scene just by showing up. He treats helping his sister navigate their strange new surroundings as an adventure, and is all around a good person. If it weren't for Benjamin, this story would be over before it'd begun--and not just because he helps Laureth get around. He's the glue that holds everything together, and does a great job doing it.

     The plot, on the other hand, never seems quite certain where to go. From tracking down the notebook that holds Dad's story concepts to searching it for clues, it's fairly obvious that if this lead doesn't work out, the entire operation is doomed. However, the deeper they dive into his head, the more they realize how obsessed he is with coincidences--and begin seeing them themselves. Thus a sense of madness takes hold partway through the narrative, casting suspicion on even the most innocent of actions. While coming from the right place, this gives the work an air of trying too hard. Laureth's story is interesting enough without deep, slightly unhinged discussions about coincidences and the universe thrown into the mix.

     Though this novel isn't primarily about visual impairment, it isn't not about that, either. Laureth's blindness gives her other senses a boost, sometimes realistic and occasionally not. Her inability to see leads to plenty of trouble, but it also grants her a deeper insight into human nature, as well as social issues such as racism. There's a bit of violence, though nothing too extreme, and it isn't unheard of for characters to swear a bit. However, foul language is kept simple enough. While some older fellows send uncalled-for comments Laureth's way, they aren't exceptionally crude. Unfortunately, there's a bit of a letdown near the end, but the journey to it is generally worth the read.

     I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting tale led by a girl who cannot see. Though digressions into the science of coincidence make things a tad confusing further in, Marcus Sedgwick seems to have done a solid job describing the experiences of a blind teen as honestly as possible. In the end, Laureth is the biggest appeal this novel has to offer, which no one can claim is a bad thing. And, of course, there's Benjamin, whose stuffed bird and mysterious superpower are sure to draw readers in. For adventure, mystery, and a believable glimpse into the mind of a blind girl, She Is Not Invisible is definitely worth three stars.