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O lume fara tine
Bo nu își poate imagina lumea fără iubita lui, Sofia. Din fericire, nici nu trebuie să o facă. Chiar dacă ea a rămas prizonieră în trecut, el poate călători în timp și o poate aduce înapoi. La urma urmei, este elevul Academiei Berkshire, o școală de elită unde tinerii cu super-puteri învață să își controleze abilitățile. Dar dacă Sofia este mai departe decât ar fi crezut? Dacă tot ce se întâmplă în jur e doar produsul minții lui?
O lume fără tine este o poveste zguduitoare despre dragoste, familie și identitate într-o lume haotică în care un adolescent se străduiește să distingă realitatea de halucinații, învățând în mod dureros că uneori trebuie să renunți la anumite lucruri pentru a reuși să mergi mai departe.
O lume fără tine este o poveste zguduitoare despre dragoste, familie și identitate într-o lume haotică în care un adolescent se străduiește să distingă realitatea de halucinații, învățând în mod dureros că uneori trebuie să renunți la anumite lucruri pentru a reuși să mergi mai departe.
358 pages, Hardcover
First published July 19, 2016
300 people are currently reading
16689 people want to read
About the author
Beth Revis
62 books6,736 followersBeth Revis writes books. She also eats too much chocolate, wishes she could travel more, and prefers puppies to people. Beth lives in rural NC with her boys: one husband, one son, two very large puppies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 853 reviews
July 20, 2016
Time won’t let me change it. I am, at best, an observer. I cannot rewrite history.
I just... can't rate this any higher. I want to. The premise is fascinating and I loved Revis' Across the Universe. But, even though this book picks up in the second half, the idea is much stronger than the book itself.
Firstly, contrary to what some people seem to be assuming, this is not a sci-fi novel. And it's not a spoiler to say that either. I had thought it might be one of those novels where the narrator believes in something paranormal and everyone else thinks they're crazy, and we as the reader don't know which is true for most of the book. Actually, no. The novel is exactly what it appears to be from the blurb and it is clear instantly that this is a story about mental illness.
There were times, especially in the beginning, where I was disappointed that we knew the truth. The story didn't pull me in and I felt like I had all the answers but was waiting for Bo to catch up. Gradually, however, the book found its strength in portraying the fear and confusion one would expect from a severe mental illness - in fact, I believe this is the most severe psychosis I've ever read about in YA.
In A World Without You, Bo believes that he has the ability to travel through time. He also believes that he is at a school for teens with special powers, that his classmates also have their own powers, and that his beloved Sofía is trapped in 1692 - a time only he can rescue her from.
There were a number of problems for me.
1) Forgettable secondary characters. Literally none of the other characters are memorable. They appear as the most basic outlines of people, falling into bland boxes: the benevolent doctor, the distant workaholic father, the caring mother, the mean asshole (Ryan), the sassy one (Gwen), the weird one (Harold) and the sweet love interest (Sofía). None of them are developed beyond this.
Bo's relationship with each also remained undeveloped. Perhaps this was deliberate, given that his perspective rarely surfaced from his troubled mind, but the effect is that they are one-dimensional and easy to forget.
2) Phoebe's perspective. Bo's sister gets her own chapters and the problem is that she's uninteresting. Phoebe mostly whines about how she doesn't get any attention because she's the normal daughter with good grades and a college future. I know this is supposed to show the reality, in contrast with Bo's skewed perspective, but she is boring. Does anyone actually care whether she's the best or second-best cello player in her school orchestra?
3) Storytelling via flashbacks. In his attempt to save Sofía, Bo repeatedly tries to go to the past. However, he finds himself accidentally "travelling" to other memories instead. These parts felt really forced because it was obvious that the author was trying to paint in a backstory. It was like... "Oops, I'm in the wrong past! But oh! Here's a story about the early therapy sessions!"
4) Repetition about the damn strings! Bo views time as being like strings winding away into the past - in order to travel somewhere, he grabs the strings. And, honestly, it grew so tiring reading about the descriptions of strings, especially when he was searching for Sofía. Passages like this:
The red string of Sofía’s past evens out along the weave, smoothing down flat again. Any chance I had of pulling the end of Sofía’s string from the vortex disappears before my eyes.
Over and over.
5) The last chapter. As I said, the book does gain some strength as it progresses, mostly because it really is quite frightening to imagine Bo's confusion. The penultimate chapter is excellent and, though it would have been evil to leave it hanging there, it would have made an impact. Instead, we got one more chapter of Phoebe's perspective, taking the edge off and leaving it dull and flat.
A book with a lot of potential, but it didn't live up to it.
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July 7, 2016
The writing and premise were both excellent, while the execution fell short.
When I really thought about it..where could the story really go? We have Bo who thinks he can travel through time and believes he attends a school for kids with superpowers. The truth? He attends Berkshire Academy for Children with Exceptional Needs. It’s a school for troubled kids. Bo experiences delusions. Things only get worse when Sofía, the girl he fell in love with, commits suicide. Bo truly believes she isn’t dead, that he actually left her in the past three hundred years ago, and he’s desperate to go back & get her.
That all sounds interesting and maybe if Bo didn’t have a mental illness we know about from the beginning, I might have believed he really had superpowers and felt the slight twist when I found out he suffered from a mental illness. But we know this from the beginning definitively. To make it even more clear, we are given an addition POV from Bo’s younger sister Phoebe. Her chapters are merely there to have some context set in reality. To show the juxtaposition of the two realities. I get it. Other than that, you just don’t care about Phoebe because nothing is happening with her in regard to the plot.
So again I ask...where could the story really go when all this we know from the beginning? I admit there was finally a moment that shocked me toward the end, got me on the edge of my seat, but it was over as soon as it began. And the book went back to being mediocre as if that scene never happened.
I got fed up with the string, thread nonsense. This is how Bo does his time traveling..calling up the timestream he views as a series of strings. It felt so repetitive. He goes into depth about the threads and strings and his attempt to grab hold of Sofía’s, but oops can’t reach it. It got to the point where I needed to skim these parts because every time he “traveled” let’s talk about the strings. I just didn’t care anymore about the stupid strings. GAH!
I can appreciate the writing and what Beth Revis attempted to do here, but it just didn’t measure up.
When I really thought about it..where could the story really go? We have Bo who thinks he can travel through time and believes he attends a school for kids with superpowers. The truth? He attends Berkshire Academy for Children with Exceptional Needs. It’s a school for troubled kids. Bo experiences delusions. Things only get worse when Sofía, the girl he fell in love with, commits suicide. Bo truly believes she isn’t dead, that he actually left her in the past three hundred years ago, and he’s desperate to go back & get her.
That all sounds interesting and maybe if Bo didn’t have a mental illness we know about from the beginning, I might have believed he really had superpowers and felt the slight twist when I found out he suffered from a mental illness. But we know this from the beginning definitively. To make it even more clear, we are given an addition POV from Bo’s younger sister Phoebe. Her chapters are merely there to have some context set in reality. To show the juxtaposition of the two realities. I get it. Other than that, you just don’t care about Phoebe because nothing is happening with her in regard to the plot.
So again I ask...where could the story really go when all this we know from the beginning? I admit there was finally a moment that shocked me toward the end, got me on the edge of my seat, but it was over as soon as it began. And the book went back to being mediocre as if that scene never happened.
I got fed up with the string, thread nonsense. This is how Bo does his time traveling..calling up the timestream he views as a series of strings. It felt so repetitive. He goes into depth about the threads and strings and his attempt to grab hold of Sofía’s, but oops can’t reach it. It got to the point where I needed to skim these parts because every time he “traveled” let’s talk about the strings. I just didn’t care anymore about the stupid strings. GAH!
I can appreciate the writing and what Beth Revis attempted to do here, but it just didn’t measure up.
July 14, 2016
It's always hard to give a proper review to 3-star books. I would say I had an overall positive experience with this book, but it didn't blow me away. Would I recommend it? Probably. If you're looking for YA that deals with mental illness, it's definitely worth checking out. If you're want a quick, engaging & thoughtful reading experience, I would say pick it up.
I will say that I related very heavily to the sister's perspective in this book. It's a narrative that I don't think I've ever read before--albeit, I don't read much YA, but I do think her specific situation/mindset was incredibly relatable and refreshing to read from. I also enjoyed how the author handled the complex family dynamics as well. It was so true to life, and I commend her for getting that right because so many authors struggle with creating realistic relationships like that.
Ultimately, one that didn't strike a deep chord with me, but I appreciated and am glad to have read, if only to have broadened my reading horizons.
I will say that I related very heavily to the sister's perspective in this book. It's a narrative that I don't think I've ever read before--albeit, I don't read much YA, but I do think her specific situation/mindset was incredibly relatable and refreshing to read from. I also enjoyed how the author handled the complex family dynamics as well. It was so true to life, and I commend her for getting that right because so many authors struggle with creating realistic relationships like that.
Ultimately, one that didn't strike a deep chord with me, but I appreciated and am glad to have read, if only to have broadened my reading horizons.
January 10, 2018
I want to say that this book is stunning in a powerful way, because it is of striking beauty & excellence, as well as efficacious & mighty; but because I hear these descriptors so often, I'm afraid they're almost a cliche. I'll simply say: read this book, please.
March 2, 2017
I have very mixed feelings about this book and I'm not sure how to sort them out. It should be noted up front though that Revis drew on her brother's real experience with mental illness as inspiration for this story, so I am not doubting that this is a realistic portrayal.
You may want to avoid this review if you haven't read the book yet. I discuss things covered in the official summary, but I felt the summary gave away the whole story.
The premise of this story I've often heard is "Does the main character have superpowers, or does he have a mental illness?" It's in the book summary that he has a mental illness and that is how the book was recommended to me, and that's the only reason that I feel this premise is okay because I'm not very comfortable with relating mental illness to having a superpower (though I can't pinpoint all my feelings around this). However, I do feel as if it's realistic that their mental illness would come as a surprise to someone having delusions. Bo's experience felt genuine.
What really hindered my enjoyment is that the story relies so heavily on that question of superpower vs mental illness. It requires the reader to be unsure, but the summary told us the answer up front. This could have worked well as a character study if it hadn't had such an emphasis on the plot and that mystery. I don't enjoy stories that treat mental illness as a mystery to be solved. To be clear, I think it was responsible of the summary to tell us the answer up front, I just wish there had been more to the plot here because as it was, this story felt way too long, unnecessary, and repetitive. If you've read the summary, you know the whole story. The premise and the execution did not work for me personally.
It also did not help that the end
I enjoyed Pheobe's few chapters and her perspective as the sibling of someone with mental illness, as well as the insight she gave us into their parents' lives and how they interacted with both her and Bo. The family aspect was the most interesting to me.
You may want to avoid this review if you haven't read the book yet. I discuss things covered in the official summary, but I felt the summary gave away the whole story.
The premise of this story I've often heard is "Does the main character have superpowers, or does he have a mental illness?" It's in the book summary that he has a mental illness and that is how the book was recommended to me, and that's the only reason that I feel this premise is okay because I'm not very comfortable with relating mental illness to having a superpower (though I can't pinpoint all my feelings around this). However, I do feel as if it's realistic that their mental illness would come as a surprise to someone having delusions. Bo's experience felt genuine.
What really hindered my enjoyment is that the story relies so heavily on that question of superpower vs mental illness. It requires the reader to be unsure, but the summary told us the answer up front. This could have worked well as a character study if it hadn't had such an emphasis on the plot and that mystery. I don't enjoy stories that treat mental illness as a mystery to be solved. To be clear, I think it was responsible of the summary to tell us the answer up front, I just wish there had been more to the plot here because as it was, this story felt way too long, unnecessary, and repetitive. If you've read the summary, you know the whole story. The premise and the execution did not work for me personally.
It also did not help that the end
I enjoyed Pheobe's few chapters and her perspective as the sibling of someone with mental illness, as well as the insight she gave us into their parents' lives and how they interacted with both her and Bo. The family aspect was the most interesting to me.
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July 4, 2016
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
A World Without You by Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: July 19, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Galley from First to Read
Summary (from Goodreads):
Seventeen-year-old Bo has always had delusions that he can travel through time. When he was ten, Bo claimed to have witnessed the Titanic hit an iceberg, and at fifteen, he found himself on a Civil War battlefield, horrified by the bodies surrounding him. So when his concerned parents send him to a school for troubled youth, Bo assumes he knows the truth: that he’s actually attending Berkshire Academy, a school for kids who, like Bo, have "superpowers."
At Berkshire, Bo falls in love with Sofia, a quiet girl with a tragic past and the superpower of invisibility. Sofia helps Bo open up in a way he never has before. In turn, Bo provides comfort to Sofia, who lost her mother and two sisters at a very young age.
But even the strength of their love isn’t enough to help Sofia escape her deep depression. After she commits suicide, Bo is convinced that she's not actually dead. He believes that she's stuck somewhere in time — that he somehow left her in the past, and now it's his job to save her.
What I Liked:
My initial thought upon finishing this book: wow, that was mind-blowing. I didn't have pretty much any expectations when going into this story, other than hoping it would be awesome because it is a Revis book, and I love her books. Reading this book days after reading Paula Stokes' Vicarious worked out strangely for me, as these two books are very, very similar in the "big twist". And I highly enjoyed both books!
A World Without You starts with the memorial service of Sofía, who was Bo's girlfriend, and fellow student at Berkshire. Bo is angry and frustrated; he knows that Sofía isn't actually dead, and that he can go back in time and bring her back. After all, she disappeared because he took her to 1692, and accidentally traveled back in time... without her. But then government investigative officials come to Berkshire, and suddenly everyone except Bo is under the belief that Sofía is really dead, that she committed suicide. Bo is sure that the officials are alternating everyone's perception of reality. But Bo will stop at nothing to bring Sofía back, even as time is breaking around him.
This book is written primarily in Bo's POV, though every now and then a chapter is written from Phoebe's POV. Phoebe is Bo's younger sister, a workaholic and very driven. She's a senior in high school who has excellent grades and is so "normal" compared to Bo. At first I didn't care for Phoebe's chapters, because I wanted to get to Bo's. But then I started seeing why Phoebe's side of things is so important. And her chapters always made sense, whereas Bo's sometimes didn't (especially towards the end). I felt bad for Phoebe, at times! She felt trapped in her house, and sometimes jealous of Bo's freedom. If only she knew...
It wasn't hard to like Bo, or to really feel for him. He loved - loves - Sofía, and his determination to get her back is impressive. He likes it at Berkshire, and feels comfortable there. The group that lives with him specifically within the school is made up of five people - Bo, Sofía, Ryan, Gwen, and Harold. Everyone at the school has some sort of ability, and Bo's is time travel. Sofía's is invisibility. Ryan's is telekinesis. Gwen's is pyrokinesis. Harold's is the ability to see and hear and communicate with the dead.
Time-traveling back to 1692 when Bo accidentally left Sofía is near impossible for Bo. He doesn't have control over his powers, and he never has privacy, with the government officials there to investigate Sofía's death, and Bo's parents constantly hovering. I was anxious to see the first time Bo traveled back in time. I was not disappointed!
This book is sort of told with visits to the past, but not really flashbacks, if that makes sense. Sofía is "dead" at the beginning of the book, and so all of Bo and Sofía's relationship is shown to us readers via the past, as well as Bo remembering times with her. Sometimes he visits her in the past. A lot of times, he daydreams or remembers scenes that he shared with her. They had a sweet relationship, and it was almost tragic to experience it.
A point to make about the romance - since Bo is trying to get Sofía back to present time, there isn't any romance happening in the present. We get to see Bo and Sofía's relationship from the past, sure. And Bo trying to get Sofía back is driven by his love for her. But there is little physical romance in this book!
I'm going to honest - I knew this book dealt with the paranormal (i.e. time travel, and the other superpowers), but I didn't realize how thoroughly entrenched the mental illnesses and health issues were, in the story. Usually I'm not one for those types of books, but I love how Revis worked Bo's mental health into this story. Absolutely loved it.
There were several twists to this story that, even if you anticipate them, they were incredibly and shocking to read and unfold. About a third of the way in, I had a good idea of what I thought was going on... and that was exactly what was happening. But Revis tells the story in such a way that we see everything from Bo's eyes, so genuinely.
I thought the ending was going to be morbid! It was and it wasn't. The ending was uplifting in a way, and I definitely liked it. The story in general was equal parts sad and beautiful, and I'm so glad I gave this book a chance. I knew nothing of the story, but I have no regrets!
What I Did Not Like:
The only thing I might say is that towards the end, things got a little too confusing. Bo starts to lose track of what is real and what is not, and he starts to lose time. We have Phoebe's POV to balance out the storm in Bo's head and life, but I was a bit confused at times, towards the end of the book. Which, realistically, made sense, as to why I was confused. You'll have to read the book to know what I mean! Confusing in a good way, I suppose.
Would I Recommend It:
If you like psychological thrillers, this is definitely a book for you. And if you like this one, try Vicarious by Paula Stokes (or vice versa). A World Without You was sweet and heartbreaking, intriguing and thrilling. It was bizarre, and untangling reality and perception was mind-blowing. All in all, a fascinating and enjoyable read!
Rating:
4 stars. I was very surprised by this book, its content and story! I didn't know much about it before starting to read it, so everything was completely fresh to me. I hadn't even really read the synopsis! Going into a book blind is the best, sometimes. And it was perfect, with THIS type of book!
A World Without You by Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: July 19, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Galley from First to Read
Summary (from Goodreads):
Seventeen-year-old Bo has always had delusions that he can travel through time. When he was ten, Bo claimed to have witnessed the Titanic hit an iceberg, and at fifteen, he found himself on a Civil War battlefield, horrified by the bodies surrounding him. So when his concerned parents send him to a school for troubled youth, Bo assumes he knows the truth: that he’s actually attending Berkshire Academy, a school for kids who, like Bo, have "superpowers."
At Berkshire, Bo falls in love with Sofia, a quiet girl with a tragic past and the superpower of invisibility. Sofia helps Bo open up in a way he never has before. In turn, Bo provides comfort to Sofia, who lost her mother and two sisters at a very young age.
But even the strength of their love isn’t enough to help Sofia escape her deep depression. After she commits suicide, Bo is convinced that she's not actually dead. He believes that she's stuck somewhere in time — that he somehow left her in the past, and now it's his job to save her.
What I Liked:
My initial thought upon finishing this book: wow, that was mind-blowing. I didn't have pretty much any expectations when going into this story, other than hoping it would be awesome because it is a Revis book, and I love her books. Reading this book days after reading Paula Stokes' Vicarious worked out strangely for me, as these two books are very, very similar in the "big twist". And I highly enjoyed both books!
A World Without You starts with the memorial service of Sofía, who was Bo's girlfriend, and fellow student at Berkshire. Bo is angry and frustrated; he knows that Sofía isn't actually dead, and that he can go back in time and bring her back. After all, she disappeared because he took her to 1692, and accidentally traveled back in time... without her. But then government investigative officials come to Berkshire, and suddenly everyone except Bo is under the belief that Sofía is really dead, that she committed suicide. Bo is sure that the officials are alternating everyone's perception of reality. But Bo will stop at nothing to bring Sofía back, even as time is breaking around him.
This book is written primarily in Bo's POV, though every now and then a chapter is written from Phoebe's POV. Phoebe is Bo's younger sister, a workaholic and very driven. She's a senior in high school who has excellent grades and is so "normal" compared to Bo. At first I didn't care for Phoebe's chapters, because I wanted to get to Bo's. But then I started seeing why Phoebe's side of things is so important. And her chapters always made sense, whereas Bo's sometimes didn't (especially towards the end). I felt bad for Phoebe, at times! She felt trapped in her house, and sometimes jealous of Bo's freedom. If only she knew...
It wasn't hard to like Bo, or to really feel for him. He loved - loves - Sofía, and his determination to get her back is impressive. He likes it at Berkshire, and feels comfortable there. The group that lives with him specifically within the school is made up of five people - Bo, Sofía, Ryan, Gwen, and Harold. Everyone at the school has some sort of ability, and Bo's is time travel. Sofía's is invisibility. Ryan's is telekinesis. Gwen's is pyrokinesis. Harold's is the ability to see and hear and communicate with the dead.
Time-traveling back to 1692 when Bo accidentally left Sofía is near impossible for Bo. He doesn't have control over his powers, and he never has privacy, with the government officials there to investigate Sofía's death, and Bo's parents constantly hovering. I was anxious to see the first time Bo traveled back in time. I was not disappointed!
This book is sort of told with visits to the past, but not really flashbacks, if that makes sense. Sofía is "dead" at the beginning of the book, and so all of Bo and Sofía's relationship is shown to us readers via the past, as well as Bo remembering times with her. Sometimes he visits her in the past. A lot of times, he daydreams or remembers scenes that he shared with her. They had a sweet relationship, and it was almost tragic to experience it.
A point to make about the romance - since Bo is trying to get Sofía back to present time, there isn't any romance happening in the present. We get to see Bo and Sofía's relationship from the past, sure. And Bo trying to get Sofía back is driven by his love for her. But there is little physical romance in this book!
I'm going to honest - I knew this book dealt with the paranormal (i.e. time travel, and the other superpowers), but I didn't realize how thoroughly entrenched the mental illnesses and health issues were, in the story. Usually I'm not one for those types of books, but I love how Revis worked Bo's mental health into this story. Absolutely loved it.
There were several twists to this story that, even if you anticipate them, they were incredibly and shocking to read and unfold. About a third of the way in, I had a good idea of what I thought was going on... and that was exactly what was happening. But Revis tells the story in such a way that we see everything from Bo's eyes, so genuinely.
I thought the ending was going to be morbid! It was and it wasn't. The ending was uplifting in a way, and I definitely liked it. The story in general was equal parts sad and beautiful, and I'm so glad I gave this book a chance. I knew nothing of the story, but I have no regrets!
What I Did Not Like:
The only thing I might say is that towards the end, things got a little too confusing. Bo starts to lose track of what is real and what is not, and he starts to lose time. We have Phoebe's POV to balance out the storm in Bo's head and life, but I was a bit confused at times, towards the end of the book. Which, realistically, made sense, as to why I was confused. You'll have to read the book to know what I mean! Confusing in a good way, I suppose.
Would I Recommend It:
If you like psychological thrillers, this is definitely a book for you. And if you like this one, try Vicarious by Paula Stokes (or vice versa). A World Without You was sweet and heartbreaking, intriguing and thrilling. It was bizarre, and untangling reality and perception was mind-blowing. All in all, a fascinating and enjoyable read!
Rating:
4 stars. I was very surprised by this book, its content and story! I didn't know much about it before starting to read it, so everything was completely fresh to me. I hadn't even really read the synopsis! Going into a book blind is the best, sometimes. And it was perfect, with THIS type of book!
July 17, 2016
4.5 stars
A World Without You is one of those books that invades your every thought, controls your every breath and breaks your heart, only to rebuild it as the better, stronger version of itself. In this genre-bending gem of a book, Revis explores mental illness, loss and guilt that lead to never before seen depths of self-delusion and fear. For a more careful reader, reading it can be an eye-opening experience, as each new page peels away one more bit of prejudice of which we were completely unaware.
Revis succeeds in making us question our own minds as we slowly discover the depths of Bo’s psychosis. We know that he doesn’t actually travel through time – even the book blurb doesn’t attempt to hide that fact – but Bo is so deeply convinced by his own delusions that at times his conviction influences us, too. The sobering moments in which well meaning people try to make Bo see the truth serve as an awakening for us too, and they fill us with sadness and sympathy for this deeply delusional boy.
As we witness the life of Bo’s family through his sister Phoebe’s eyes (several chapters are from her point of view), we see that mental illness still carries the stigma it once did. The deep shame felt by Bo’s father, the complete denial from his mother and the jealous anger coming from his sister would have surely hurt Bo even more deeply had he been fully aware of their actions. None of them ever told anyone that there was something very wrong with Bo, that he was mentally ill and essentially hospitalized. Phoebe lied to her friends, their father buried himself in piles of work and their mother closed herself off from life. Revis showed quite clearly how illness affects more than one person, how it spreads and how the family rots from within. It is very hard not to assign blame, not to despise those who are not supportive enough, and very difficult to understand that people’s defense mechanisms often fail when they need them the most.
Every aspect of Bo’s journey in this book is incredibly painful. He is drowning in guilt for failing to notice the full extent of Sofía’s depression, he’s running from all the hard truths and becoming increasingly paranoid with each new collision with reality. Revis’s powerful writing carries us through all his moods and hallucinations, and through her immense skill, we drown in Bo’s mind, we feel his heart and we understand his pain all too well. Reality abandons us as it abandons him, and oftentimes we get carried away, believing him in our hearts instead of trusting our own minds.
We see the important secondary characters only through Bo’s eyes and we can merely guess at the nature of their illnesses. Bo’s perspective is terribly skewed, his narration the very definition of unreliable, and most people aren’t strong or important enough to penetrate the fog of his mind. His tunnel vision focus on saving Sofía prevents him from seeing anything else, and as he slides down into hallucinations and paranoia, his views of other people become even more unreliable. Nevertheless, one can conclude just enough from things written between the lines, enough to see that each of Bo’s classmates is a tragedy unfolding before our very eyes.
After The Body Electric, which happens to be one of my all-time favorites, I had no doubts left about Revis’ ability to captivate and enchant. In A World Without You, her approach is somewhat different from her previous works, her prose is quieter and more subdued, but it’s all the more powerful for it, and her incredible insightfulness and feather-light touch make this a novel people will talk about for years to come.
A World Without You is one of those books that invades your every thought, controls your every breath and breaks your heart, only to rebuild it as the better, stronger version of itself. In this genre-bending gem of a book, Revis explores mental illness, loss and guilt that lead to never before seen depths of self-delusion and fear. For a more careful reader, reading it can be an eye-opening experience, as each new page peels away one more bit of prejudice of which we were completely unaware.
Revis succeeds in making us question our own minds as we slowly discover the depths of Bo’s psychosis. We know that he doesn’t actually travel through time – even the book blurb doesn’t attempt to hide that fact – but Bo is so deeply convinced by his own delusions that at times his conviction influences us, too. The sobering moments in which well meaning people try to make Bo see the truth serve as an awakening for us too, and they fill us with sadness and sympathy for this deeply delusional boy.
As we witness the life of Bo’s family through his sister Phoebe’s eyes (several chapters are from her point of view), we see that mental illness still carries the stigma it once did. The deep shame felt by Bo’s father, the complete denial from his mother and the jealous anger coming from his sister would have surely hurt Bo even more deeply had he been fully aware of their actions. None of them ever told anyone that there was something very wrong with Bo, that he was mentally ill and essentially hospitalized. Phoebe lied to her friends, their father buried himself in piles of work and their mother closed herself off from life. Revis showed quite clearly how illness affects more than one person, how it spreads and how the family rots from within. It is very hard not to assign blame, not to despise those who are not supportive enough, and very difficult to understand that people’s defense mechanisms often fail when they need them the most.
Every aspect of Bo’s journey in this book is incredibly painful. He is drowning in guilt for failing to notice the full extent of Sofía’s depression, he’s running from all the hard truths and becoming increasingly paranoid with each new collision with reality. Revis’s powerful writing carries us through all his moods and hallucinations, and through her immense skill, we drown in Bo’s mind, we feel his heart and we understand his pain all too well. Reality abandons us as it abandons him, and oftentimes we get carried away, believing him in our hearts instead of trusting our own minds.
We see the important secondary characters only through Bo’s eyes and we can merely guess at the nature of their illnesses. Bo’s perspective is terribly skewed, his narration the very definition of unreliable, and most people aren’t strong or important enough to penetrate the fog of his mind. His tunnel vision focus on saving Sofía prevents him from seeing anything else, and as he slides down into hallucinations and paranoia, his views of other people become even more unreliable. Nevertheless, one can conclude just enough from things written between the lines, enough to see that each of Bo’s classmates is a tragedy unfolding before our very eyes.
After The Body Electric, which happens to be one of my all-time favorites, I had no doubts left about Revis’ ability to captivate and enchant. In A World Without You, her approach is somewhat different from her previous works, her prose is quieter and more subdued, but it’s all the more powerful for it, and her incredible insightfulness and feather-light touch make this a novel people will talk about for years to come.
January 2, 2017
"Everyone has a jar of darkness inside of them. Everyone. When we're born, the lid is tight on the jar. That's why babies are happy. But as time goes on, sometimes the jar opens a little, and darkness gets inside us. We can close the jar sometimes, and sometimes we can't."
"And it is everything I have longed for, and everything that breaks my heart."
"Because if I break, they'll break too. It's a responsibility I'd never really felt before, or at least I never thought about enough to name. But Bo's actions just cement my place in my family. He can walk away from the dinner table. I can't."
A World Without You is a story about a boy named Bo who believes he can travel through time. He has always seen time displayed tangibly in front of him, and he eventually finds himself at Berkshire Academy, which he describes as a school for kids with superpowers learning how to control their powers and function in a world that views the students as outsiders.
I think it’s important to note that while it reads like sci-fi, this is a contemporary about mental illness—and it’s one of the most creatively accurate, in-depth pictures of mental illness from the inside looking out, as well as self-delusion, fear, guilt, and loss. I think my favorite description of this book is that it’s an “astonishing shape-shifter of a tale.” This is the first book I’ve ever read that confronts the stigma of mental illness and prejudice head on, leading the reader on a slow journey of the depths of psychosis and just how confusing it can be for people.
The book begins with the funeral of a young girl named Sofia who had the superpower of invisibility whom Bo loved. Bo believes Sofia isn’t really dead but that she’s lost in a different timeline—and that it’s all his fault that she’s stuck. The book unravels Bo’s desperate journey to try and get Sofia back while other obstacles intervene.
What was most surprising to me about A World Without You was the piercingly accurate portrayal of family dysfunction and the strain of mental illness when it comes to familial relationships. The book switches from the point of view of Bo to his sister, Phoebe, and I honestly believe this was the main reason I loved this book so much.
Bo is an unreliable narrator, but as readers, we don’t realize this right away. Phoebe’s perspective is sobering and poignant, and I related to it more than I can really say. It was like an arrow to the heart reading about her relationship with Bo and the rest of her family.
The best part about my reading experience was reading the handwritten annotations by Beth Revis that were included in my book from Quarterly. She shared small but beautifully intimate details about her thoughts, inspirations, or memories as she was writing her book. I related to so many of her notes, and even though she was not basing Phoebe’s character off of her own real-life experiences, it really helped me see the complex layers of Bo’s sister.
I loved all of the characters at Berkshire; they gave me Girl Interrupted vibes, especially toward the end of the novel. Gwen’s superpower to create fire in her hands and Harold’s ability to talk to ghosts—as well as our perceptions of Ryan throughout the novel—were all fascinating and heartbreaking. As a reader, you root for all of them. Empathy is the heart of this story.
Even with the dark subject matter and devastating storyline, hope prevails from the struggle. I found the ending to be brilliant, realistic, and honestly perfect, especially when it could have ended so many ways. Revis isn’t dismissive about recovery, but she doesn’t leave readers in despair, either.
I loved this book for personal reasons, and it’s hard to say whether I would have loved it if I didn’t feel such a fierce connection with Phoebe. I believe I would have, but I understand why it was too much for other readers at times. You have to be brave to read this book, because Beth Revis was brave in writing it, and Bo and Phoebe are brave, too. There’s a quiet strength and resilience to this story that made me weep, and I hope you treasure it, too.
I gush more about A World Without You in a reading vlog on my BookTube channel, Mollie Reads. Actually, I cry in this vlog, which is only a little bit embarrassing. You can find it here: https://youtu.be/rK7UD58jEuw
"And it is everything I have longed for, and everything that breaks my heart."
"Because if I break, they'll break too. It's a responsibility I'd never really felt before, or at least I never thought about enough to name. But Bo's actions just cement my place in my family. He can walk away from the dinner table. I can't."
A World Without You is a story about a boy named Bo who believes he can travel through time. He has always seen time displayed tangibly in front of him, and he eventually finds himself at Berkshire Academy, which he describes as a school for kids with superpowers learning how to control their powers and function in a world that views the students as outsiders.
I think it’s important to note that while it reads like sci-fi, this is a contemporary about mental illness—and it’s one of the most creatively accurate, in-depth pictures of mental illness from the inside looking out, as well as self-delusion, fear, guilt, and loss. I think my favorite description of this book is that it’s an “astonishing shape-shifter of a tale.” This is the first book I’ve ever read that confronts the stigma of mental illness and prejudice head on, leading the reader on a slow journey of the depths of psychosis and just how confusing it can be for people.
The book begins with the funeral of a young girl named Sofia who had the superpower of invisibility whom Bo loved. Bo believes Sofia isn’t really dead but that she’s lost in a different timeline—and that it’s all his fault that she’s stuck. The book unravels Bo’s desperate journey to try and get Sofia back while other obstacles intervene.
What was most surprising to me about A World Without You was the piercingly accurate portrayal of family dysfunction and the strain of mental illness when it comes to familial relationships. The book switches from the point of view of Bo to his sister, Phoebe, and I honestly believe this was the main reason I loved this book so much.
Bo is an unreliable narrator, but as readers, we don’t realize this right away. Phoebe’s perspective is sobering and poignant, and I related to it more than I can really say. It was like an arrow to the heart reading about her relationship with Bo and the rest of her family.
The best part about my reading experience was reading the handwritten annotations by Beth Revis that were included in my book from Quarterly. She shared small but beautifully intimate details about her thoughts, inspirations, or memories as she was writing her book. I related to so many of her notes, and even though she was not basing Phoebe’s character off of her own real-life experiences, it really helped me see the complex layers of Bo’s sister.
I loved all of the characters at Berkshire; they gave me Girl Interrupted vibes, especially toward the end of the novel. Gwen’s superpower to create fire in her hands and Harold’s ability to talk to ghosts—as well as our perceptions of Ryan throughout the novel—were all fascinating and heartbreaking. As a reader, you root for all of them. Empathy is the heart of this story.
Even with the dark subject matter and devastating storyline, hope prevails from the struggle. I found the ending to be brilliant, realistic, and honestly perfect, especially when it could have ended so many ways. Revis isn’t dismissive about recovery, but she doesn’t leave readers in despair, either.
I loved this book for personal reasons, and it’s hard to say whether I would have loved it if I didn’t feel such a fierce connection with Phoebe. I believe I would have, but I understand why it was too much for other readers at times. You have to be brave to read this book, because Beth Revis was brave in writing it, and Bo and Phoebe are brave, too. There’s a quiet strength and resilience to this story that made me weep, and I hope you treasure it, too.
I gush more about A World Without You in a reading vlog on my BookTube channel, Mollie Reads. Actually, I cry in this vlog, which is only a little bit embarrassing. You can find it here: https://youtu.be/rK7UD58jEuw
March 9, 2017
I have really mixed feelings on this one. I looooved the writing and the premise, but there is just something about this that feels extremely lacking. It has all these cool YA Shutter Island type vibes but I feel like something about the execution just didn't quite do what it felt like it needed to do. This is a really bad review but my brain is still really unsure of how I actually felt about this tbh. May edit this later if I can think actual coherent thoughts.
September 18, 2016
If any other author had written this, I might have been scared. Tackling mental illness is tough. And there are a lot of poorly done books that treat mental illness as a "superpower." But this is Beth Revis we're talking about, and she's one hell of a talented writer. A World Without You was heartbreaking and beautiful. Getting to hear her talk about the impetus for writing this book at the Decatur Book Fest made it that much more heartbreaking. If it hasn't been said, Beth is an immensely talented writer and this is an important and wonderful book.
February 14, 2017
4.3/5
BU KİTAP HARİKAYDI! Yorumu için: http://kronikokur.blogspot.com.tr/201...
BU KİTAP HARİKAYDI! Yorumu için: http://kronikokur.blogspot.com.tr/201...
July 21, 2016
**For the record, I didn't even read the blurb before starting the book, which is probably why I enjoyed it even more.
Beth Revis is one of my favorite authors for a reason. I love all her science fiction work, all her short stories, and the Across the Universe series is one of the first YA trilogies that I truly loved.
A World Without You is no different.
I can't even explain why I love her writing. It's just so enjoyable and I eat it up. The plot constantly gives me whiplash (which I love) and I must say, the unreliable author was refreshing. I loved Bo. I really did.
Something that really resonated with me in this story is Phoebe's character. She kind of annoyed me at times, with her selfish attitude and jealousy of Bo's condition. But at the same time, I kind of understand. My little brother has autism and when I was younger, I definitely remember getting angry with my parents because of the unfairness of how we were individually treated. My brother could have gotten away with murder and I would have been blamed for it. However, now that I'm 22 years old, I don't think like that at all. I'm old enough and mature enough to understand that there are reasons he needs special treatment or different forms of punishment/rewards, etc. Phoebe is 16 years old, though, so I guess I can understand the obvious resentment of how Bo's needs are put before hers, and how her achievements are overshadowed by Bo's struggles. She just needs to grow up a little.
I'm sure this book won't be everyone's cup of tea, but whatever. I loved it. I love all of Beth Revis's books and I'll continue to buy WHATEVER she puts out. :)
Beth Revis is one of my favorite authors for a reason. I love all her science fiction work, all her short stories, and the Across the Universe series is one of the first YA trilogies that I truly loved.
A World Without You is no different.
I can't even explain why I love her writing. It's just so enjoyable and I eat it up. The plot constantly gives me whiplash (which I love) and I must say, the unreliable author was refreshing. I loved Bo. I really did.
Something that really resonated with me in this story is Phoebe's character. She kind of annoyed me at times, with her selfish attitude and jealousy of Bo's condition. But at the same time, I kind of understand. My little brother has autism and when I was younger, I definitely remember getting angry with my parents because of the unfairness of how we were individually treated. My brother could have gotten away with murder and I would have been blamed for it. However, now that I'm 22 years old, I don't think like that at all. I'm old enough and mature enough to understand that there are reasons he needs special treatment or different forms of punishment/rewards, etc. Phoebe is 16 years old, though, so I guess I can understand the obvious resentment of how Bo's needs are put before hers, and how her achievements are overshadowed by Bo's struggles. She just needs to grow up a little.
I'm sure this book won't be everyone's cup of tea, but whatever. I loved it. I love all of Beth Revis's books and I'll continue to buy WHATEVER she puts out. :)
June 22, 2016
3.5 stars
I loved the premise of this book and I was quite excited to get to it.
I really liked the dual POV between Bo and his sister, Phoebe. Being inside Phoebe's head added a bit of stability in contrast to the sensationalism of Bo's. I spent the majority of the book wondering what the truth really was.
I enjoyed the chaos and the feeling of confusion that I had, but at the same time, I found myself rereading passages because I had no idea what was happening. As much as I enjoyed the story and what it represents, I was still hoping for something to just grab me and compel me to read non-stop until I was finished.
Overall, a very real story, told in a unique way.
**Huge thanks to Razorbill Books and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
I loved the premise of this book and I was quite excited to get to it.
I really liked the dual POV between Bo and his sister, Phoebe. Being inside Phoebe's head added a bit of stability in contrast to the sensationalism of Bo's. I spent the majority of the book wondering what the truth really was.
I enjoyed the chaos and the feeling of confusion that I had, but at the same time, I found myself rereading passages because I had no idea what was happening. As much as I enjoyed the story and what it represents, I was still hoping for something to just grab me and compel me to read non-stop until I was finished.
Overall, a very real story, told in a unique way.
**Huge thanks to Razorbill Books and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
Read
October 3, 2016I loved this book. The cover is so amazing. When I was finished with the book, I just stared at it, thinking about the threads. Delving into the worlds of this brother and sister was such a startling and poignant journey. Brilliant, Beth. Just brilliant.
Read
March 22, 2017I actually read half of this book like a month ago and then had to put it down, and I'm glad I did, because the second half hit me way more personally and made me cry my face off. It's not anything I'm gonna talk about publicly (though no, I do not have any family members with delusions), but this is one of those "Yeeeah, I really need to write a thank-you email to the author" kind of situations. I hope anyone else who needs this book finds it. I know exactly who I plan to give it to.
Want to read
October 21, 2015ANOTHER, Beth Revis book!
YES!
:'D
WHAT THE HELL?!? That cover is so pretty and the synopsis sounds awesome!
YES!
:'D
WHAT THE HELL?!? That cover is so pretty and the synopsis sounds awesome!
February 5, 2017
The book took me awhile to get into it.
It's a great story and I loved it, but keeping track with what was going on sometimes can get confusing, however, the reason of why it was so was because of the mental illnesses, you could really see and feel what he was going through.
I really enjoyed the sisters POV, shows how Bo's situation could affect his family.
It's a great story and I loved it, but keeping track with what was going on sometimes can get confusing, however, the reason of why it was so was because of the mental illnesses, you could really see and feel what he was going through.
I really enjoyed the sisters POV, shows how Bo's situation could affect his family.
December 9, 2016
This story was so raw and real. I loved it to pieces.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
It deals with the deep and emotional topic of mental health. And a mental illness I've yet to see represented in YA. Dissociative disorder. I won't go into what this disorder entails (spoilers) but this, along with many other mental illnesses, was represented incredibly.
Coming from a nursing major who has had a mental health course, the disorders were very accurately described. While the book was problematic at times with how these disorders should be managed and how others saw the kids with disorders, it was absolutely incredible to see mental health written about in this manner. You really get to see what it is like to be inside the mind of a mentally unstable individual and its consequences on not just that person but his family as well. It's a beautiful story of conquering the unconquerable mind.
I loved it so so so so much. And I totally recommend it if you are looking for a great mental health read or a gripping, intensely touching story of a young boy deciding between a unreal lovely dream or a reality of constant uncertainties.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
It deals with the deep and emotional topic of mental health. And a mental illness I've yet to see represented in YA. Dissociative disorder. I won't go into what this disorder entails (spoilers) but this, along with many other mental illnesses, was represented incredibly.
Coming from a nursing major who has had a mental health course, the disorders were very accurately described. While the book was problematic at times with how these disorders should be managed and how others saw the kids with disorders, it was absolutely incredible to see mental health written about in this manner. You really get to see what it is like to be inside the mind of a mentally unstable individual and its consequences on not just that person but his family as well. It's a beautiful story of conquering the unconquerable mind.
I loved it so so so so much. And I totally recommend it if you are looking for a great mental health read or a gripping, intensely touching story of a young boy deciding between a unreal lovely dream or a reality of constant uncertainties.
May 16, 2021
Ideea cărți este super și mi-ar fi plăcut să urmăresc o astfel de poveste, dar modul în care a fost scris totul aici nu a fost pe placul meu. Sau poate nu am nimerit momentul perfect să citesc cartea.
Pentru mai bine de jumătate de carte m-am simțit purtată de o barcă fără direcție, pe o apă liniștită. Aș fi apreciat ceva mai multe întâmplări.
În momentul în care acțiunea prindea formă, citeam cu sufletul la gură. Mi-au plăcut aceste porțiuni, dar au fost cam puține.
Spre final s-a lăsat o ceață densă și cu fiecare pagină deveneam din ce în ce mai confuză, nu mai înțelegeam ce se întâmplă. A fost explicat cam succint twist-ul cărții.
Personajele mi s-au părut cam “goale”, pe lângă “puterile” pe care le aveau, au fost caracterizați cam puțin. Mi-a plăcut, în schimb, evoluția surorii personajului principal, Phoebe.
Apreciez foarte mult ideea cărții, mi-ar plăcea să mai citesc ceva pe acest subiect, dar cu o altă direcție a acțiunii.
Recomand, totuși, cartea persoanelor care apreciază o poveste cu evoluție lentă, cu ceva psihologie în spate. Dacă descrierea are ceva care vă atrage, eu zic să îi dați o șansă.
Pentru mai bine de jumătate de carte m-am simțit purtată de o barcă fără direcție, pe o apă liniștită. Aș fi apreciat ceva mai multe întâmplări.
În momentul în care acțiunea prindea formă, citeam cu sufletul la gură. Mi-au plăcut aceste porțiuni, dar au fost cam puține.
Spre final s-a lăsat o ceață densă și cu fiecare pagină deveneam din ce în ce mai confuză, nu mai înțelegeam ce se întâmplă. A fost explicat cam succint twist-ul cărții.
Personajele mi s-au părut cam “goale”, pe lângă “puterile” pe care le aveau, au fost caracterizați cam puțin. Mi-a plăcut, în schimb, evoluția surorii personajului principal, Phoebe.
Apreciez foarte mult ideea cărții, mi-ar plăcea să mai citesc ceva pe acest subiect, dar cu o altă direcție a acțiunii.
Recomand, totuși, cartea persoanelor care apreciază o poveste cu evoluție lentă, cu ceva psihologie în spate. Dacă descrierea are ceva care vă atrage, eu zic să îi dați o șansă.
Read
February 4, 2017DNF @ Page 123.
This book isn't terribly written; I just don't care about the characters or anything that's going on. I can't take 200+ more pages of this. I only have so much time in this life; why waste it? Maybe YA just isn't for me anymore.
Also, I'm counting this toward my reading challenge because 123 pages is nothing to sneeze at. Sue me.
This book isn't terribly written; I just don't care about the characters or anything that's going on. I can't take 200+ more pages of this. I only have so much time in this life; why waste it? Maybe YA just isn't for me anymore.
Also, I'm counting this toward my reading challenge because 123 pages is nothing to sneeze at. Sue me.
August 4, 2018
2 stars.
A World Without You follows seventeen year old Bo, who has always had delusions that he can travel through time. When he was ten, Bo believed to have witnessed the Titanic hit an iceberg, and at fifteen, he found himself on a Civil War battlefield, horrified by the bodies surrounding him. So, when his concerned parents send him to a school for troubled youth, Bo assumes he knows the truth: that he’s actually attending Berkshire Academy, a school for kids who have "superpowers." At Berkshire, Bo falls in love with Sofía, a quiet girl with a tragic past and the superpower of invisibility. Sofía helps Bo open up in a way he never has before. In turn, Bo provides comfort to Sofía, who lost her mother and two sisters at a young age. However, Sofía is still depressed, and after she commits suicide, Bo is convinced that she’s not actually dead. He believes that she's stuck somewhere in time—that he somehow left her in the past, and that now he's the only one who can save her. And as Bo becomes more and more determined to save Sofía, he must decide whether to face his demons head-on or give in to the psychosis that will let him be with the girl he loves.
Here's the thing: this book could've been excellent. The characterization was wonderful, the writing was engaging, and the plot was promising—but it's wildly inaccurate. The plot is a good idea, and could've been super interesting, but Beth Revis wrote a completely unrealistic version of a delusional disorder. I'm going to guess Revis didn't study psychology and isn't a psychologist, but that doesn't mean you can't do proper research on these topics, even for one as rare as severe delusions. Bo's thoughts and delusions are far too clear, logical, and collected for this level of psychosis. Psychosis is messy and so are delusions. Also, I understand it's apparently necessary to write unrealistic psychologists in fiction, but... wow. What we're shown in this book is absolutely ridiculous. I'm not even a licensed psychologist yet and I have more knowledge on how to talk to children with mental illnesses than this guy does.
Besides what I mentioned earlier, the main reason I gave this book two stars instead of one was because of Phoebe. Something Revis did right was her characterization and what it's like to be related to someone with such a serious mental illness. I liked reading from her point of view and reading about her conflicting feelings and thoughts about Bo—it definitely made a big difference in my overall feelings on this book. On top of that, as I said, Revis does a good job with her writing and her characterization, but that's about where the positives end for me. Especially that ending. That was just... terrible.
All in all, A World Without You could've been much better. Had it not been for the inaccurate and unrealistic portrayal of mental illness, I think I would've really loved this one.
“I guess when someone's gone from your life for a while, all you think about are the big things. The big regrets, the could-have, should-haves. Or the big moments, the memories that are going to be with you forever, those life-changing moments, like first kisses and first confessions and first trusts. And you think about the lasts too: the last kiss, the last words, the last moments.”
A World Without You follows seventeen year old Bo, who has always had delusions that he can travel through time. When he was ten, Bo believed to have witnessed the Titanic hit an iceberg, and at fifteen, he found himself on a Civil War battlefield, horrified by the bodies surrounding him. So, when his concerned parents send him to a school for troubled youth, Bo assumes he knows the truth: that he’s actually attending Berkshire Academy, a school for kids who have "superpowers." At Berkshire, Bo falls in love with Sofía, a quiet girl with a tragic past and the superpower of invisibility. Sofía helps Bo open up in a way he never has before. In turn, Bo provides comfort to Sofía, who lost her mother and two sisters at a young age. However, Sofía is still depressed, and after she commits suicide, Bo is convinced that she’s not actually dead. He believes that she's stuck somewhere in time—that he somehow left her in the past, and that now he's the only one who can save her. And as Bo becomes more and more determined to save Sofía, he must decide whether to face his demons head-on or give in to the psychosis that will let him be with the girl he loves.
Here's the thing: this book could've been excellent. The characterization was wonderful, the writing was engaging, and the plot was promising—but it's wildly inaccurate. The plot is a good idea, and could've been super interesting, but Beth Revis wrote a completely unrealistic version of a delusional disorder. I'm going to guess Revis didn't study psychology and isn't a psychologist, but that doesn't mean you can't do proper research on these topics, even for one as rare as severe delusions. Bo's thoughts and delusions are far too clear, logical, and collected for this level of psychosis. Psychosis is messy and so are delusions. Also, I understand it's apparently necessary to write unrealistic psychologists in fiction, but... wow. What we're shown in this book is absolutely ridiculous. I'm not even a licensed psychologist yet and I have more knowledge on how to talk to children with mental illnesses than this guy does.
Besides what I mentioned earlier, the main reason I gave this book two stars instead of one was because of Phoebe. Something Revis did right was her characterization and what it's like to be related to someone with such a serious mental illness. I liked reading from her point of view and reading about her conflicting feelings and thoughts about Bo—it definitely made a big difference in my overall feelings on this book. On top of that, as I said, Revis does a good job with her writing and her characterization, but that's about where the positives end for me. Especially that ending. That was just... terrible.
All in all, A World Without You could've been much better. Had it not been for the inaccurate and unrealistic portrayal of mental illness, I think I would've really loved this one.
July 22, 2016
GRADE: D
ONE WORD: Ugh
Beth Revis crafted an intricate story of seventeen-year-old Bo, a delusional patient/student at a school for mentally ill young adults. Part of Bo's psychosis leads him to believe he can travel through time to save his girlfriend, who recently committed suicide.
A WORLD WITHOUT YOU is an interesting story but unrealistic portrayal of a delusional disorder. Bo's thinking is way too organized for someone with that degree of psychosis and his hallucinations follow too logical a path. This feels like mental illness written for a story rather than authentic mental illness. The book has one of the worst psychiatrists in the history of literature. For example:
Doctor to potentially psychopathological kid: I need to know if you know the difference between right and wrong.
Ryan: I do.
He should know kids with Conduct Disorder would never answer the question truthfully. He would have asked open ended questions and determined the answer by the content rather than the words, as well as taken past and present behavior into account. And don't get me started on the school/hospital that one would only find in poorly researched literature from the setting to the protocol.
Note to writers including psychiatric hospital settings: breaking into offices and viewing records is nearly impossible, particularly since the institution of HIPAA.
Despite its highly fictionalized version of mental illness and treatment, Revis writes with a compelling voice. I loved her inclusion of Bo's sister Phoebe's voice of several chapters which gave balance to Bo's unreliable narration, added the perspective of a typical sibling struggling with the impact of having a mentally ill member of the family. She showed both frustration and empathy and some jealousy of the energy and attention Bo sucked from the family. The inclusion of psych reports and recordings of previous session also added insight into the delusional thoughts in Bo's chapters.
The ending was a big let down for me.
THEMES: mental illness, siblings, family, grief, death, suicide
A WORLD WITHOUT YOU misses the mark with inaccurate depiction of mental health and treatment.
August 13, 2017
I was really hesitant to start this since I've haven't loved too many mental illness novels; I generally find them too meandering, confusing, and/or strangely uninteresting. But I was willing to give this a try because I loved Beth Revis's fantasy series Across the Universe.
Bo believes he can travel through time and he goes to a school for students with special powers. Bo actually has delusions and paranoia and goes to a school for troubled kids. Through the lens of his sister, we can see Bo's break with reality and the effect he has on his family. Through Bo's own narration, he insists that he must save his girlfriend from being stuck in time — though the reader can understand that she actually committed suicide and Bo cannot bring her back.
What was wonderful about this book is that I could fully get into Bo's head and see his delusions, while also seeing the reality of the situation. It's a mesmerizing yet heartbreaking read and the audiobook narrators are excellent.
Bo believes he can travel through time and he goes to a school for students with special powers. Bo actually has delusions and paranoia and goes to a school for troubled kids. Through the lens of his sister, we can see Bo's break with reality and the effect he has on his family. Through Bo's own narration, he insists that he must save his girlfriend from being stuck in time — though the reader can understand that she actually committed suicide and Bo cannot bring her back.
What was wonderful about this book is that I could fully get into Bo's head and see his delusions, while also seeing the reality of the situation. It's a mesmerizing yet heartbreaking read and the audiobook narrators are excellent.
November 20, 2016
This was an interesting story. There is a huge gray area in the book and it takes until at least half way for you to know what's going on.
Bo goes to school away from his family. He's gone all week and then goes home on weekends. He needs to go to this school in order to keep his abilities under wraps. You see, he goes to a school where everyone has powers. Bo's power is manipulating and/or traveling through time.
But Bo has recently made a huge mistake. And he's trying all he can to undo it. What unfolds is a story full of twists and turns where you are left scratching your head until, with each turn, it all reveals it's self.
I did like the end and the ultimate outcome. It leaves you replaying the book a bit, wondering where you missed things. But I loved it. I also wonder.....how that road trip will go. Will it hold what we think? Interesting.....
Bo goes to school away from his family. He's gone all week and then goes home on weekends. He needs to go to this school in order to keep his abilities under wraps. You see, he goes to a school where everyone has powers. Bo's power is manipulating and/or traveling through time.
But Bo has recently made a huge mistake. And he's trying all he can to undo it. What unfolds is a story full of twists and turns where you are left scratching your head until, with each turn, it all reveals it's self.
I did like the end and the ultimate outcome. It leaves you replaying the book a bit, wondering where you missed things. But I loved it. I also wonder.....how that road trip will go. Will it hold what we think? Interesting.....
June 21, 2016
"That's the best part, " I say. "I have no idea."
Well, that was great! First of all, I would like to thank Penguin for giving me an arc for an honest review.
This novel, is a promising debut by Beth Revis. I cannot wait for everyone to read this book! It was soo good. I liked the characters, the storyline and mainly, the writing. The writing is absolutely gorgeous and it was one of the anchors that kept me reading.
I loved the ending. It was satisfying and was sort of an open one. I don't know much about mental health prior to this book but the author weaved the story beautifully to explain what was actually going on.
Kudos to her!
July 30, 2016
I was looking forward to this because I really liked Across the Universe but this felt really long and repetitive. It was okay and I like that it portrays severe psychosis but. Eh.
February 7, 2017
I really don't know what to say! I don't think I'm even going to review this book, because i want everyone to experience it for themselves. Please, do yourself a favor and go read this!
February 25, 2019
“Cred ca atunci cand cineva a plecat de ceva vreme din viata ta, nu poti sa te gandesti decat la lucruri mari. La marile pareri de rau, la as fi putut, la ar fi trebuit. Sau la momentele importante, la amintirile care te vor insoti pentru totdeauna, la acele clipe care ti-au schimbat viata- primele saruturi, de exemplu, primele marturisiri, primele responsabilitati. Te gandesti, de asemenea si la ultimele: ultimul sarut, ultimele cuvinte, ultime clipe impreuna. “
“Cand te indragostesti, nu te indragostesti de primul sarut, te indragostesti de toate saruturile de dupa. el. “
“Viața seamănă cu fluxul temporal, toată numai noduri încâlceli și răsuceli.Poate dacă am știi exact unde duc firele sorții noastre, am putea face mereu alegerile corecte, dar nu putem.“
Am inceput cu cateva citate din carte, pentru ca mi se pare ca ar putea exemplifica mai profund ceea ce inseamna aceasta poveste.
Am ales aceasta carte pentru coperta si pentru ca ma gandeam ca voi citi vreo poveste siropoasa, cu adolescenti. Pf, ce m-am inselat.
Protagonistul acestei povesti este BO!
Bo este un tanar deosebit, ce are puteri neobisnuite. Poate calatori in timp! Din aceasta cauza, parintii sai au decis ca el sa mearga la o scoala speciala (Academia Berksihere), unde toti cei ca el, pot invata sa-si controleze puterile si sa le tina ascunse. Ei nu sunt instruiti pt a deveni eroi, ci pentru a se putea integra in societate, fara a atrage atentia prea mult asupra lor. Unii pot calatori in timp, altii pot manevra focul, altii pot citi gandurile, altii pot deveni invizibili si lista poate continua la nesfarsit. Profesorii sunt speciali de asemenea.
Bo, duce pe toata durata cartii o lupta interioara greu de suportat. Se simte vinovat de disparitia prietenei lui, Sofia, pe care a luat-o intr-o calatorie in timp, dar pe care a pierdut-o. Acum se lupta din toate puterile sa o aduca inapoi. Intre Sofia si Bo, se creaza o legatura speciala inca de la inceput, asa ca e de la sine inteles de ce acesta se simte sfarsit in clipa in care isi da seama ca a pierdut-o in timp.
Lucrurile se precipita si guvernul incepe sa-si faca griji de ceea ce se intampla in acea scoala speciala (acestia nu aveau habar ca sunt copii cu puteri, ci copii cu probleme psihice) iar pentru asta trimit in inspectie doi oficiali. Acest lucru aduce dupa sine, unele schimbari in institutie, schimbari ce le da viata tuturor peste cap. Acum BO trebuie sa distinga realitatea de halucinatii, si cu greu intelege ca pentru a merge mai departe trebuie sa invete sa renunte la anumite lucruri.
Cartea merge pe doua planuri, din punctul de vedere al lui Bo si a surorii lui Phoebe, si aparent par total diferite, dar pe urma se vede legatura si chiar una destul de stransa.
M-am asteptat la o poveste de iubire si am primit o distopie foarte bine scrisa si destul de credibila. Este fictiune, dar nu mi s-a parut nimic exagerat. E o carte usurica, ce se citeste foarte repede. Celor carora le place sa citeasca distopii, povesti cu personaje cu puteri supranaturale, dar scrise frumos si impachetate intr-o poveste despre viata si iubire... asta e.
Este o carte despre alegeri, despre familie si relatiile familiale, despre prieteni, despre acceptare si renuntare, despre viata!
“Cand te indragostesti, nu te indragostesti de primul sarut, te indragostesti de toate saruturile de dupa. el. “
“Viața seamănă cu fluxul temporal, toată numai noduri încâlceli și răsuceli.Poate dacă am știi exact unde duc firele sorții noastre, am putea face mereu alegerile corecte, dar nu putem.“
Am inceput cu cateva citate din carte, pentru ca mi se pare ca ar putea exemplifica mai profund ceea ce inseamna aceasta poveste.
Am ales aceasta carte pentru coperta si pentru ca ma gandeam ca voi citi vreo poveste siropoasa, cu adolescenti. Pf, ce m-am inselat.
Protagonistul acestei povesti este BO!
Bo este un tanar deosebit, ce are puteri neobisnuite. Poate calatori in timp! Din aceasta cauza, parintii sai au decis ca el sa mearga la o scoala speciala (Academia Berksihere), unde toti cei ca el, pot invata sa-si controleze puterile si sa le tina ascunse. Ei nu sunt instruiti pt a deveni eroi, ci pentru a se putea integra in societate, fara a atrage atentia prea mult asupra lor. Unii pot calatori in timp, altii pot manevra focul, altii pot citi gandurile, altii pot deveni invizibili si lista poate continua la nesfarsit. Profesorii sunt speciali de asemenea.
Bo, duce pe toata durata cartii o lupta interioara greu de suportat. Se simte vinovat de disparitia prietenei lui, Sofia, pe care a luat-o intr-o calatorie in timp, dar pe care a pierdut-o. Acum se lupta din toate puterile sa o aduca inapoi. Intre Sofia si Bo, se creaza o legatura speciala inca de la inceput, asa ca e de la sine inteles de ce acesta se simte sfarsit in clipa in care isi da seama ca a pierdut-o in timp.
Lucrurile se precipita si guvernul incepe sa-si faca griji de ceea ce se intampla in acea scoala speciala (acestia nu aveau habar ca sunt copii cu puteri, ci copii cu probleme psihice) iar pentru asta trimit in inspectie doi oficiali. Acest lucru aduce dupa sine, unele schimbari in institutie, schimbari ce le da viata tuturor peste cap. Acum BO trebuie sa distinga realitatea de halucinatii, si cu greu intelege ca pentru a merge mai departe trebuie sa invete sa renunte la anumite lucruri.
Cartea merge pe doua planuri, din punctul de vedere al lui Bo si a surorii lui Phoebe, si aparent par total diferite, dar pe urma se vede legatura si chiar una destul de stransa.
M-am asteptat la o poveste de iubire si am primit o distopie foarte bine scrisa si destul de credibila. Este fictiune, dar nu mi s-a parut nimic exagerat. E o carte usurica, ce se citeste foarte repede. Celor carora le place sa citeasca distopii, povesti cu personaje cu puteri supranaturale, dar scrise frumos si impachetate intr-o poveste despre viata si iubire... asta e.
Este o carte despre alegeri, despre familie si relatiile familiale, despre prieteni, despre acceptare si renuntare, despre viata!
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