7 Souls (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: 7 Souls Kate Quealy-Gainer Miller, Barnabas. 7 Souls; by Barnabas Miller and Jordan Orlando. Delacorte, 2010. 373p. Library ed. ISBN 978-0-385-90625-8 $20.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-385-73673-2 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-375-89381-0 $17.99 Ad Gr. 9-12. Waking up butt naked in a busy Manhattan store with no recollection of how she got there was not exactly how New York socialite Mary Shayne wanted to begin her seventeenth birthday. Unfortunately, the day only gets worse from there: after being unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend, falling into a pit while trying to [End Page 30] save her best friend's life, and engaging in a high-speed car chase in which neither she nor her accomplice totally understands what she is running from, the poor girl finally winds up dead with a bullet through the head. The fun doesn't stop there, however, as she then relives the day of her death as seven other people in her life and discovers not only that plenty of her so-called pals wanted her dead but that chief among them was her beloved little sister. Although Mary's death doesn't occur until halfway through the novel, the events preceding the gunshot are just as intriguingly chaotic as the strange soul-jumping that follows it. Unfortunately, some of the suspense is dampened by an overabundance of product placement (Michael Kors, Starbucks, and Blackberry all make several appearances), and while the materialism is certainly part of Mary's spoiled princess image, the routine descriptions of fashion, cars, and gadgets quickly become distractions from the actual story. As the typical mean girl, Mary is appropriately egocentric in her narration, but her limited viewpoint leaves most of the characters as flat stereotypes—the vengeful nerd, the jealous sister, etc.—so that even when Mary supposedly learns her lesson, we feel little sympathy for any involved. Readers looking for a more philosophical take on life and second chances may want to pick up Oliver's Before I Fall (BCCB 4/10), but this will engage readers wanting a fast-paced mystery with a hint of paranormal activity. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois