"The overall impact of this psychological novel is so powerful." - BooklistI have a friend who never fails to recommend only books that I will absolutely love. Everyone needs a friend like this; I'm glad I have found mine.
Last week she lent me The Only Alien on the Planet, by Kristen D. Randle. It was actually a book I had heard great things about and seen prominently displayed in local bookstores. But the cover art was distasteful (strike one) and the back-of-the-book synopsis seemed boring and possibly weird (strike two). I was quite sure there weren't any aliens in it (strike three) and so I never read it.
But my always-reliable friend had lent it to me and if she liked it, I could at least give the first chapter a glance.
From the first chapter to the last page, I couldn't put The Only Alien on the Planet down and the first word out of my mouth when I closed the cover at the conclusion was, "Wow."
It's a book about the transformative and redeeming power of friendship, as explored through the relationship between Ginny, the new girl on the block, and Smitty, a strange boy at school who never speaks. The book explores man's power to choose his own destiny, a topic that has interested me very much lately. In spite of the non-textbook resolution, the ultimate triumph of the characters (over external and internal battles) was very satisfying and empowering.
When I picked it up, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it, much less give it an honored place among the many books I read each week. But this was a book that invited the Holy Ghost into my heart and one that I definitely feel was inspired of God.
2 comments:
Wow, I'll have to look into this book!
This is one of my favorite books of all time and I am glad to see someone else enjoying it!
I first read it when I was I think about 13 or 14 and it has remained close to my heart now that I am almost 22, it's one of those books that I want to buy a copy of to keep until I have kids and can share it with them.
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