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Mesmerized
While being punished for writing a controversial article in her high school paper, Serena Albright is befriended by the enigmatic loner Brodie Wiles. Serena witnesses the first time that Brodie meets Lance Royal, who is secretly rehearsing to compete in The Showdown, the biggest dance contest of the year. Immediately, Serena is drawn into their world, inspired by the love she recognizes between them.
Through her close friendship with Brodie and Lance, Serena finds comfort for the grief and guilt she feels over the brutal death of her older brother, the victim of a hate crime. Frustrated that her deep-in-denial parents spend endless hours in front of the television and refuse to acknowledge the death of their son, Serena accepts the challenge to have a face-to-face meeting with the boy who killed her brother.
Through her close friendship with Brodie and Lance, Serena finds comfort for the grief and guilt she feels over the brutal death of her older brother, the victim of a hate crime. Frustrated that her deep-in-denial parents spend endless hours in front of the television and refuse to acknowledge the death of their son, Serena accepts the challenge to have a face-to-face meeting with the boy who killed her brother.
264 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2010
1 person is currently reading
411 people want to read
About the author
David-Matthew Barnes
110 books50 followersDavid-Matthew Barnes is the award-winning author of fifteen novels, three collections of poetry, seven short stories, and more than seventy stage plays that have been performed in three languages in twelve countries. He writes in multiple genres, primarily young adult, romance, thriller, and horror. Five of his stage plays have received off-off Broadway productions.
As a film producer, he has helped bring fifty films to the screen including many independent films, horror movies, and international films.
He has been selected for three Sundance Collab screenwriting workshops. He was named a finalist for the Sundance Institute YouTube New Voices Lab.
David-Matthew is the winner of the Hart Crane Memorial Poetry Award, the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Award for playwriting, the Slam Boston Award for Best Play, and two Elly Awards for playwriting from the Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance.
To date, he has written eight produced screenplays. He is a graduate of the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA.
David-Matthew is a member of the Dramatists Guild, International Thriller Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
He lives in Sacramento, California where he serves as the founding Artistic Director of Pioneer Players, a nonprofit theatre company producing uplifting shows including plays for young audiences and original works.
As a film producer, he has helped bring fifty films to the screen including many independent films, horror movies, and international films.
He has been selected for three Sundance Collab screenwriting workshops. He was named a finalist for the Sundance Institute YouTube New Voices Lab.
David-Matthew is the winner of the Hart Crane Memorial Poetry Award, the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Award for playwriting, the Slam Boston Award for Best Play, and two Elly Awards for playwriting from the Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance.
To date, he has written eight produced screenplays. He is a graduate of the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA.
David-Matthew is a member of the Dramatists Guild, International Thriller Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
He lives in Sacramento, California where he serves as the founding Artistic Director of Pioneer Players, a nonprofit theatre company producing uplifting shows including plays for young audiences and original works.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 28, 2012
Mesmerized is the story of Serena Albright, a high school senior from Sacramento who has ambitions of becoming a journalist. It is 1986 and Serena works as an editor for her school newspaper. The previous year, Serena's family suffered the devastating loss of her older brother, Christopher, who was the victim of a horrendous hate crime. Christopher was gay, and Serena wrote an editorial piece for her school newspaper in her brother's memory. The article was shocking to the school, and Serena was reprimanded by her principal who assigned her detention painting parking blocks in the school parking lot.
While she is fulfilling her assigned punishment, Serena is joined by another student that she doesn't know very well. His name is Brodie, and it becomes obvious to Serena that he is gay. Their friendship immediately blossoms and Serena soon discovers that Brodie has a passion for dancing. As luck would have it, they soon encounter Lance when they venture into an abandoned warehouse. Lance is a local college student who is also a dancer. Serena is awestruck and heartened when she observes a romance blossoming before her eyes--her two new friends are falling in love with each other.
Several other key characters are introduced within the story. Serena's grief-stricken parents, her best friend Maggie, and her arch nemesis Pamela are all very colorful, deeply portrayed characters who bring the story to life. Eventually a romance blossoms for Serena herself when she encounters her dashing coworker Wesley after she begins a new job as a hotel maid.
It is no surprise that this author is an accomplished playwright because in many ways the story had the feel of a screenplay. There were a lot of quick-witted one-liners and some subtle, sarcastic humor that made it an entertaining and at times lighthearted read. But what was particularly gripping about the story was the depth of the emotion that the author conveyed. The manner in which the grief issue was portrayed was incredibly intense.
There were also some interesting plot twists and a few surprises which made the story unpredictable enough to set it apart from other YA gay-themed stories. One thing specifically that I liked was that the story was told in the first person narrative of Serena. The theme centered more upon her coming to terms with having a gay sibling and coping with his death than it did with gay characters falling in love.
I felt the writing was strong, the characterization was deep, and the plot was believable yet unpredictable. This is definitely one of the better-written YA novels I've read, and I would be quick to recommend it to YA fans.
While she is fulfilling her assigned punishment, Serena is joined by another student that she doesn't know very well. His name is Brodie, and it becomes obvious to Serena that he is gay. Their friendship immediately blossoms and Serena soon discovers that Brodie has a passion for dancing. As luck would have it, they soon encounter Lance when they venture into an abandoned warehouse. Lance is a local college student who is also a dancer. Serena is awestruck and heartened when she observes a romance blossoming before her eyes--her two new friends are falling in love with each other.
Several other key characters are introduced within the story. Serena's grief-stricken parents, her best friend Maggie, and her arch nemesis Pamela are all very colorful, deeply portrayed characters who bring the story to life. Eventually a romance blossoms for Serena herself when she encounters her dashing coworker Wesley after she begins a new job as a hotel maid.
It is no surprise that this author is an accomplished playwright because in many ways the story had the feel of a screenplay. There were a lot of quick-witted one-liners and some subtle, sarcastic humor that made it an entertaining and at times lighthearted read. But what was particularly gripping about the story was the depth of the emotion that the author conveyed. The manner in which the grief issue was portrayed was incredibly intense.
There were also some interesting plot twists and a few surprises which made the story unpredictable enough to set it apart from other YA gay-themed stories. One thing specifically that I liked was that the story was told in the first person narrative of Serena. The theme centered more upon her coming to terms with having a gay sibling and coping with his death than it did with gay characters falling in love.
I felt the writing was strong, the characterization was deep, and the plot was believable yet unpredictable. This is definitely one of the better-written YA novels I've read, and I would be quick to recommend it to YA fans.
October 25, 2015
2011 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
July 13, 2012
First off, whoa. I hope you’re ready for an emotional ride with this book. It packs a punch that will leave you breathless, giddy, and full of hope.
If I wasn’t already fairly close to my siblings, this book would have me reaching out to them in a heartbeat. In fact, even though we are close, I almost put the book down to go hang out with them.
Serena is a high school senior who, before the start of the book, loses her brother to a hate crime. He is brutally murdered and left in the gutter because he’s gay. At the start of the book, Serena knows virtually nothing about who he was, and her parents are stuck in a catatonic state.
Through a series of events that can only be described as fate, Serena befriends hot boy Brodie and they meet Lance. Because of these meetings, Serena starts to learn more about the brother she had, and wishes more than anything she could have him back to talk to him.
My heart broke throughout the book for Serena and her family. Seeing her suffering from the loss was painful, but at the same time, watching the love of Brodie and Lance unfold through her eyes was beautiful. I could feel how intense it was by the words the author uses to describe their looks, their movements, and every other last detail.
Secrets are revealed throught the book, and I won’t ruin them here, but let’s just say I stayed up very late to finish it. I just couldn’t go to sleep without knowing what happened. In the end, Serena finds the courage to confront her brother’s killer with the help of her brother’s best friend, boyfriend, and her mother.
Also, the ending scenes with The Showdown? I would pay seriously good money to see this as a movie because of that scene. Barnes chose the PERFECT song for the dance sequence, and it was running through my head throughout it. So beautiful.
Do yourself a favor. Get this book. Read it. And then go hang out with your siblings and get to know who they REALLY are.
If I wasn’t already fairly close to my siblings, this book would have me reaching out to them in a heartbeat. In fact, even though we are close, I almost put the book down to go hang out with them.
Serena is a high school senior who, before the start of the book, loses her brother to a hate crime. He is brutally murdered and left in the gutter because he’s gay. At the start of the book, Serena knows virtually nothing about who he was, and her parents are stuck in a catatonic state.
Through a series of events that can only be described as fate, Serena befriends hot boy Brodie and they meet Lance. Because of these meetings, Serena starts to learn more about the brother she had, and wishes more than anything she could have him back to talk to him.
My heart broke throughout the book for Serena and her family. Seeing her suffering from the loss was painful, but at the same time, watching the love of Brodie and Lance unfold through her eyes was beautiful. I could feel how intense it was by the words the author uses to describe their looks, their movements, and every other last detail.
Secrets are revealed throught the book, and I won’t ruin them here, but let’s just say I stayed up very late to finish it. I just couldn’t go to sleep without knowing what happened. In the end, Serena finds the courage to confront her brother’s killer with the help of her brother’s best friend, boyfriend, and her mother.
Also, the ending scenes with The Showdown? I would pay seriously good money to see this as a movie because of that scene. Barnes chose the PERFECT song for the dance sequence, and it was running through my head throughout it. So beautiful.
Do yourself a favor. Get this book. Read it. And then go hang out with your siblings and get to know who they REALLY are.
May 4, 2012
Marvellous story of the aftermath of a brutal killing, the healing that eventually takes place, and the positive changes that occur in the lives of the victim's ("His name was Christopher Albright....Can we please not refer to my brother as the victim")sister, parents, best friend, and boyfriend as they struggle to come to terms with his death and the acknowledgment that he is still a part of their lives.
January 1, 2013
I spend much of my reading time inhabiting the pages of middle-grade fiction. Thus, a foray into contemporary young adult literature is a stretch for me. But I knew that D-M Barnes also writes for TV and cinema, and I figured he could teach me (as an author) a few things about pacing. I was right. This book -- which includes themes of gay romance, hate crimes, and parental grief -- moves at a breathless pace from first page to last. The author also creates compelling characters and sets up a plot that grabs and holds the reader's heart.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews