But a pang of loyalty coursed through him. It was an unfamiliar feeling for me. I was surprised to see that he really disliked me. Deeply. Not that I didn't see that my actions were irksome, but it wasn't even that he hated me. I didn't intimidate him, he wasn't interested in me. He just simply did not like me. The thought was darkly compelling.
Paperback: 464 pages Publisher: Mira Ink (17 Jun 2011) Genre: Young Adult –Fantasy/Paranormal Source: Bookbabblers/Publisher
Rating:
My Thoughts - This is one of those rare times in which I find myself in a fit of muddled thoughts. It's during these times that I find it hardest articulating my jumbled thoughts into words. But I'll try my best.
Our protagonist Bridget is that mean girl that you stay well away from. She's the girl that makes your life hell if things don't go her way, and she's the girl who actually feels no guilt whatsoever for all that she has done. She's needy, calculating, mean and cruel. It's a little disturbing when you genuinely can't seem to find one redeeming quality about an individual. It was this mentality of hers that threw away any chance of giving her the benefit of the doubt. I was then left with questioning what the author was thinking in making Bridget not only unlikable but also unforgivable. Then it came to me. Maybe we weren't supposed to forgive Bridget, maybe she wasn't redeemable. It's a wonderful and quite refreshing idea only there's a little bit of a problem if you want to give her a chance like myself, if you want her to clean up her act. It's then that things get messy.
You have to know that she is horrible. She belittles her most loyal friends being Michelle and Jillian, has driven away her father and ex boyfriend Liam, made her teacher Mr. Ezhno's life absolute hell from day one, is cruel with every given opportunity to her stepmother who has perhaps shown her more compassion than her own father, and has not even spared Brett: the boy who has shown her nothing but kindness. What is ultimately Bridget's worst mistake is not only her cruelty towards others but the fact that she does not even spare those that love her and are loyal to her. Worse still is that this girl shows no guilt or remorse for her actions. Frankly Bridget is one big massive heap of mess and downright nasty and selfish. So, when things don't go her way and everyone doesn't worship her so much anymore she contemplates committing suicide to make them pay, and grows excited at the thought of their guilt and sadness in not being lovely and sweet to her when she has been nothing but nasty. Not only is this greatly unsettling but actually pathetic . Even in attempting suicide her thoughts are selfish, calculating and in making others pay. What do you do with a character like that?
For the majority of the book - being around 260+ pages - were about her bratty behaviour and all the messed up things she did that eventually landed her in her present situation. The book focuses back to the present in around the last 40 pages. Now, in my opinion too much time was spent writing about the past and not enough about the present when both are just as important.
Also, enough focus wasn't placed into redeeming the MC in contrast to the amount of detail put in convincing us just how horrible she used to be (still is). Then she suddenly gets this epiphany in the last 30 pages or so. Can you blame me for not believing her? I didn't believe her when she said sorry and I didn't believe her when she made those drivelling confessions that meant absolutely nothing to me. At times I had to ask myself if she was trying to convince me or herself. She just did not seem genuine in her guilt. If anything the limited time span only made her seem as though she was doing what she was doing because it would make HER feel better. Because hey she probably wouldn't be around to face the consequences. Maybe I'm wrong but that's the vibe that I got from her. The girl in my opinion needed to genuinely be sorry before she went on a five minute mission of saying her bit and being done with it.
You might assume from all that I have said above that I didn't enjoy the book, and that's not true at all because I did: a lot. My issues were with Bridget herself and the rushed ending, but the actual book as a whole was actually very enjoyable and engrossing. I finished it in one sitting which makes this a little tougher because now I'm stuck in the middle. But I'm going to stick with my instincts with this one and say that I would recommend others to read this book. Even if our MC isn't your cup of tea the book itself does have a lot of heart and touch on some great issues. Most importantly, since I love a book that makes you think in Here Lies Bridget's case I assure you that it will leave you contemplating if you could have done things differently, treated that someone who meant a lot to you a little more nicely. The book will also make you aware of how the slightest misused words can mean so much to another. So, I'm sure you know by now that thought provoking always = instant brownie points!
"I want you to understand how people see you, and how your actions matter...You must learn that your place in the world is important. You've been given the power to affect people, just as we all have, and it's important -- no, vital -- that you do the right thing with it."
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