The Line Review

Title: The Line
Author: Teri Hall
Release Date: March 2010 by Penguin Young Readers
Rating: 
Synopsis: An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the Unified States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It's said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line.
Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel's dad died in the last war. It's a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.
Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?

I've been reading a lot of dystopia lately and was drawn to this book.  The idea that a government has put up an invisible barrier that you can't really tear down or find a way around or through and has created a group of "others" was one that had me wanting to know more.  The Line starts a little slow but stick with it.  It took me a bit to figure out how the world worked, but once that was explained I was hooked.

When I started writing this review I started to think about the characters and their relationships with each other and got totally over whelmed.  Until I started to really think about it I didn't realize how deep of a tale Teri Hall really created. Any one character alone has their complexities and things that drive them, but once you look at Rachel, Vivian (Rachel's mom) and Ms. Moore (the owner of "the property") together in relation to each other, a whole new set of complexities come about.  The Line is the story of many things that break down very easily to things like Rachel finding her way in the world, people living within a dystopic world, a mother's dreams for her child, and so many more.  But the more I ponder this book, the more I realize that it is truly the sum of it's parts.  All of these smaller ideas meld and weave together to create a larger deeper story.

In writing this review, I think I have a better understanding of the book and I am even more excited for book 2.  Rachel is a character who is a teen and is living a life like most teens do, they are going to school and learning their way in the world, but she has an old soul.  She handles herself well under pressure, but yet doesn't have the full understanding of the world she lives in.  Her mother Vivian is still running from her past and dealing with the choices she made in her past.  Ms. Moore remembers a time before the Line and has lived in both words.  She keeps to herself so you know she has a story to tell, and once that's shared how will it impact those around her?  This is a story about truth, secrets and making choices. For these tree woman, their stories bring them closer together, and yet these same stories push them apart.

The Line is a well written story and a solid debut for Teri Hall. Teri has created characters you want to cheer for and she leaves you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what's next for all three woman.