Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Review: Tighter

TIGHTER
Adele Griffin
Paranormal Young Adult
208 Pages
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Available Now
Received for review via Teen Book Scene

THE STORY

A series of unfortunate events have caused Jamie's life to begin spiraling out of control. The combination of a broken heart and a physical injury have led to an addiction to prescription drugs, and in an effort to get Jamie interested in life again, her mother gets her a job as an au pair on the tiny island of Little Bly.

Though it's not ideal, Jamie enjoys spending time with Isa, at least until she begins to hear rumors that she bears a striking resemblance to Isa's former au pair Jessie. Turns out Jessie and her boyfriend Peter died in a plane crash the summer before, and Jamie realizes they haven't quite yet left Little Bly or Skylark house.

Jamie can sense Peter's presence and he's not the least bit restful. He enjoys disrupting and defiling the house, and Jamie decides to dig into his and Jessie's pasts to help figure out why the events of the previous summer happened the way they did, but in doing so opens herself up for ghostly scrutiny in return.

MY THOUGHTS
Tighter is one of those stories that creeps along, events unfolding with a deliberate slowness that causes our bodies to wind up and coil like a spring, just waiting for the moment when we'll be startled into sudden movement. For the duration of this tale we are deliciously tense–though our tenseness is strictly anticipatory rather than derived from a great deal of action or intensity–and we absorb every tiny detail about Jamie and Skylark in search of information that might ease our sense of foreboding. While Jamie's story is slow moving, it is never boring; instead we are kept on high alert as separate incidents and situations begin to fit together and paint a larger picture we are positively desperate to see in its entirety by the end.

Though many aspects of the story cause our exhalations to come in rapid succession and our muscles to ache from the strain of clenching them, there are a few small aspects that are a touch disappointing after all is revealed. For much of the book our attention is drawn to the physical similarities between previous au pair Jessie and current au pair Jamie, leading us to believe there is some significance in this detail or some link between the two young women that is perhaps contributory to Jamie's ability to see the spirits of both Jessie and Peter. However, when all is said and done we find their eerily similar appearance is mere coincidence and is unrelated to the greater picture. We spend so much time hearing about their looks and learning about Jessie as Jamie conducts her informal investigation that we're sure we must be in store for some shocking revelation only to have our sought-after connection between the two women fade to nothingness with the turn of the last few pages.

Tighter does end with a twist that causes us to mentally replay the entire story in an attempt to catch the moments that ought to have tipped us off as to the ending, but once our initial awe passes we realize this particular twist is something we've seen before. All the accumulated tension and anticipation of some disturbing ghostly encounter slowly drains from us rather than exploding outward with the force of our discovery, taking with it the last of our strength and leaving us feeling just a bit unsatisfied. Tighter is certainly a quick and entertaining read, we just can't help but want a more disquieting and memorable conclusion to a tale that's kept us taut with awareness and apprehension the entire time.

Rating: 3.5/5

31 comments:

  1. I've been eagerly anticipating Tighter, so I'm happy to hear your thoughts! The way the writing leaves the reader feeling (tense and alert) sounds really interesting--it's been a while since a book kept me wired with its creepiness. I'm definitely going to give Tighter a try! :)

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  2. I just finished this and I completely agree with your review. The novel's build-up was intoxicating eerie and creepy, but the ending deflated all the atmosphere that the novel achieved earlier. I felt like the ending did not really match the rest of the novel. And I wasn't completely sold on the romance.

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  3. This one does sound interesting! But too bad the other focuses on too many details like looks other than the mystery of the story. Great honest review.

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  4. What a shame that the author managed to do such a great job with maintaining the suspense and then fell short at the end. After reading the beginning of your review, I felt some of that build up thinking of my this sounds great, and ended up disappointed that the story did not pan out for you.Great review!

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  5. I'm really excited to read this one! Too bad it fell a little short for you. Great review! :)

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  6. Oh and I really wanted to read it. I was hoping you give it a better rating. Maybe I'll read it later! Thanks for the review!

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  7. I've heard really good things about Tighter, but I'm thinking it's not for me!

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  8. Lauren - This one was really interesting right up until the end and then the final explanation was just a little disappointing for me. Good overall though:)

    Connie - Exactly, I was ready for some epic reveal of what was happening and I didn't get it!

    Julie - It is really interesting and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time until the end.

    Jan - I just wanted a little more...something. The twist didn't really do it for me.

    Leanna - I look forward to seeing what you think!

    Savy - It's definitely still a good read, just one of those once you know everything at the end, you won't really give it another thought.

    Ashley - It was a quick read and I enjoyed it, but it's not one I would run out and buy so I have my very own copy:)

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  9. Hmmmmm I like creepy as long as its not scary demons freaking me out...I may have to check this one out..:)

    BTW- I see your reading Class Collision...I really liked that novel, cant wait to read your review

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  10. The cover even gives me the creeps which means it is right on target for this book! I know someone who will love this book and I am going to recommend it to them :)

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  11. I've read a few books like that, which lead to you believe that there is so kind of connection between the characters only to caulk it up to coincidence. It has always left me feeling frustrated and disappointed.

    I don't know if ghost stories are really my thing, but I admit to be interested in this one. Thanks for the review Jenny.

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  12. Man, it's too bad that the ending fell a bit short. Still, sounds like a fairly decent read after all... I love books that can create an atmosphere, and especially ones that aren't boring even when they go at a slower pace.

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  13. Tina - No demons in this one:) And I really enjoyed Class Collision, that's going up on Thursday!

    Felicia - The cover is really creepy isn't it? That's part of why I expected this crazy ending since the buildup was so slow!

    Missie - I was definitely disappointed in the similar appearance aspect. I didn't understand why it was such a big deal if nothing ever came of it.

    Ashley - It's worth a read for sure, I just wouldn't rush it to the top of your list if you have a ton waiting:)

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  14. Too bad aboout the ending. I'm a big wuss so dont read a lot of ghost stories. Probably won''t be reading this book anytime soon.

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  15. I wouldn't have thought this book had a paranormal element into it just from the book's title and cover. Although the writing seems to be a bit shaky with what seems like a rushed ending, I think I might give this one a chance.

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  16. Small Review has been raving about this one so it was interesting to read your thoughts on it. I don't read a lot of ghost stories - too scared - so I'm wondering how scary this one is. It's too bad that Tighter keeps talking about the similarities between Jessie and Jamie but it just turns out to be simple coincidence.

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  17. Awesome review, Jenny! I hadn't even heard of this one previously. I'm a big fan of the twist ending if the author can successfully pull one over on me. I have a nasty habit of anticipating what's going to happen in books, movies, and t.v. shows since I've become so familiar with the craft of storytelling via my own reading.

    I will definitely take some time to look this one up. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!

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  18. I do not like the cover..but at the same time I do like it cos it seems to fit the book so good, and it is so creepy

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  19. Jenny - I'm a big wuss too, but this one isn't scary, it's just tense:)

    Rummanah - I enjoyed it overall, I just wanted more shock value I guess:)

    Zahida - sent you an email:)

    Carissa - Thanks! I enjoyed the twist initially but the more I thought about it, the more I hoped for something a little bit more unique. Still a good read though:)

    Blodeuedd - I think the cover is really creepy, it makes me want to keep looking at it:)

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  20. Oh and on the edge of your seat type of book. With a twist! Sounds like a book I really could get into! Oh thanks for the review. I was on the fence of this book until now.

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  21. Too bad the twist didn't quite work. I often don't like being taken totally by surprise. It's nice that it was slow but not boring though.

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  22. I love the honesty of your review, Jenny. I was hoping to see something a little bit more positive, but I still want to read it. I'll just lower my expectations a little. Fab review, Jenny. :)

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  23. I'm with Melissa. Small liked it and Adele so much. She's got a great post on how they chose the cover, but I guess that doesn't mean the story is great even if the cover is. I've got it here ready to read as soon as I finish this one have to review. Can't wait to see what I think. Great review!

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  24. Melissa - I was definitely on the edge of my seat just waiting, waiting, waiting for that something to happen which was fun. I just had higher hopes for the ending:)

    Alison - I didn't think it was boring, I was too busy trying to figure out all the pieces. I should have seen the end coming but I didn't:)

    Melissa - Thanks! You should absolutely still read it, I've seen a bunch of reviews that liked it a bit more than me:) Makes reviewing fun I think.

    Heather - I'm really excited to see what you think as well, I'll be stalking your blog for you review!

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  25. I wish the ending was better too! I do love a book where you're just waiting and waiting! Oh yeah, and I hate it when endings leave a bad taste in your mouth... :( Great review!

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  26. I have this one on my TBR! I would like the creepy and tense atmosphere! I am a tiny bit disappointed to learn that it's not as great as my expectations, but I would still give it a try.

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  27. Great review! So sorry this didn’t live up to your expectations.

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  28. Aw, I'm sorry you didn't love this one as much as I did. I do agree with you though. I wanted just a little bit more out of the mystery with the ghosts and their connection with Jamie. I loved the creeping suspense though.

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  29. This one is on the good old TBR, mostly because of the cover and I am indeed...a cover slut. I'll probably read it eventually, but it's going to get pushed down a bit. Great review Jenny, they always give me the details I'm looking for.

    Jen
    In the Closet With a Bibliophile

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  30. I think I would love the tense atmosphere of this book. Thanks for the great review.

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  31. I had really had high hopes for this book so it is a pretty big disappointment to see that the ending falls flat... :/
    Thanks for the great review Jenny! I think I will add this a bit lower to my TBR list...

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