The Appearance Of Annie Van SinderenKatherine Howe
Release Date: September. 15, 2015| G.P Putnam
Genre(s): Young Adult, Paranormal
Pages: 400
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating:
A haunting, contemporary love story from the New York Times bestselling author of Conversion
It’s summertime in New York City, and aspiring filmmaker Wes Auckerman has just arrived to start his summer term at NYU. While shooting a séance at a psychic’s in the East Village, he meets a mysterious, intoxicatingly beautiful girl named Annie.
As they start spending time together, Wes finds himself falling for her, drawn to her rose petal lips and her entrancing glow. But there’s something about her that he can’t put his finger on that makes him wonder about this intriguing hipster girl from the Village. Why does she use such strange slang? Why does she always seem so reserved and distant? And, most importantly, why does he only seem to run into her on one block near the Bowery? Annie’s hiding something, a dark secret from her past that may be the answer to all of Wes’s questions . . .
It’s summertime in New York City, and aspiring filmmaker Wes Auckerman has just arrived to start his summer term at NYU. While shooting a séance at a psychic’s in the East Village, he meets a mysterious, intoxicatingly beautiful girl named Annie.
As they start spending time together, Wes finds himself falling for her, drawn to her rose petal lips and her entrancing glow. But there’s something about her that he can’t put his finger on that makes him wonder about this intriguing hipster girl from the Village. Why does she use such strange slang? Why does she always seem so reserved and distant? And, most importantly, why does he only seem to run into her on one block near the Bowery? Annie’s hiding something, a dark secret from her past that may be the answer to all of Wes’s questions . . .
I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.
You know what pains me the most about doing non-spoiler reviews? The fact that I can't fully describe how I felt about a story.
Here's my problem. The Appearance Of Annie Van Sinderen was such a spectacular read, that I want to yell to the skies above about every moment, every emotion, every DETAIL, of what I experienced. Buttttttt since I want my readers to go in with an open mind, (open mouth sounded way too pervy lol) I'll try to refrain from spilling too many beans . . .
KEYWORD . TRY
The Appearance of Annie is one of those stories that completely flew over my head for the first 200 or so pages. I was so engrossed by the mysterious creepiness of the writing and characters, that I never bothered to stop and think, " why exactly is all of this even HAPPENING? " Every couple or so pages, I'm literally saying aloud, " WHAT IS GOING ON? " because I was so freaking lost, but in the best damn way. It reminded me of the time my step-sister and I were lost in New York. We didn't panic, or even care to be honest, because we were so in AWE of our surroundings, so swept up into the energy of the city, and if any experience could be compared to reading this book, this would definitely be it.
My absolute favorite thing about The Appearance of Annie is the plot. The characters could've been as flat as my next door neighbor's booty, (they weren't of course) and I bet you a pre-order, I would've loved it all the same. The story follows our two main characters Wes and Annie in a very strange way. Wes, a college student attending NYU's summer program for film, and Annie a . . . girl from the . . . 1800's. Part one is told from Wes's perspective and all his typical boy glory. I loved his character, especially his passion for making documentaries, which happens to be a serious obsession of mine. Annie's perspective on the other hand, was a wholeee nother ball game. I was so intrigued by her story, and how the author cleverly weaved the classic tale of Rip Van Winkle into the mix.
Speaking of Rip Van Winkle, remember how he fell asleep, then woke up in a time completely different from his own? Well, imagine my expression when I FINALLY discovered that the same had happened to Annie. Can you even cope with being born in a time where they didn't have cars, cellphones, or even airplanes? Then BAM, you wake up and your town seems normal, but suddenly cobblestone streets turn into slick pavement, markets and other grubby buildings turn into sleek glass structures scraping the sky, and even walking down the street feels like your watching some type of weird porn. I would've totally shit my pants. Howe infused historical fiction with our modern day world, allowing the story to be not only amusing, (Annie's reactions to the new-age was so cute) but trippy as hell. To say I was a kid in a candy store would be an understatement.
Katherine's work is so pleasantly unreal, allowing readers the perfect fictional escape.
I found myself completely taken away by the premise, the characters, the flow, even the charm of it all, and before I knew it, the story had ended, and far to quickly for my tastes. I adored this unusual take on a love story between two characters from two different centuries, not to forget the quirky secondary characters that made the story that much more enjoyable.
The writing was beyond captivating, with the perfect mixture of a well done contemporary, fantasy, a sprinkle of historical fiction, and a dash of paranormal elements, making this a special treat for every reader. The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen mashes the past and present, real with the unreal, so if you're ready to frazzle your wits with this out of body experience, I highly recommend you pick this up.
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