Wake by Lisa McMann is a New York Times Bestseller and the first book of the Wake trilogy. This novel addresses issues such as confronting childhood problems, the power of dreams and using gifts and talents for the benefit of others. While McMann enhances her main character with a unique “super power,” she also illustrates the twists and turns of everyday life for an average teenage girl struggling with her low social status and unconventional family situation.

This novel tells the story of seventeen-year-old Janie; a teenager with an extraordinary ability who is just trying to fit in at school and earn enough money to put herself through college. Her extraordinary ability? Janie is involuntarily transported into other peoples’ dreams whenever they fall into a slumber in close proximity. Unfortunately, she doesn’t fall into these dreams quietly; instead she blacks out, has seizures and in general causes a scene. Afraid that she will be seen as a freak, Janie goes to great lengths to hide her secret ability and refuses to tell a soul, including her best friend Carrie and her irresponsible, often hung over mother. She manages to keep her secret under wraps until she develops a relationship with Cabel, a neighborhood boy who has a reputation and plenty of secrets of his own.

Wake includes most of the basics of a winning novel such as suspense, drama and romance. McMann explores the mystery of dreams through the perspective of one who is literally an explorer of dreams, which is a fresh point of view. In addition, the characters are believable, despite the fact that they are involved in implausible situations. They are dynamic throughout the novel, but they still have enough growing up to do to make the remaining two novels of the trilogy interesting and relevant. The plot itself isn’t especially groundbreaking; this novel doesn’t quite fit into the generic “chick lit” genre, but with a storyline that relies heavily on the romance between two troubled teens, it comes close. Despite this, McMann adds enough tweaks to her characters and twists in the story to keep it interesting. It lags slightly towards the middle and Janie becomes slightly whiny and unbearable, but with a page count of a little over 200, it is manageable.

Overall, Wake was captivating but not exactly a revolutionary novel. Interesting ideas are presented in the novel as well as original perspectives, which are components that deserve commendation. Wake serves its purpose of entertaining and building a foundation for the remaining novels of the trilogy, making it a worthwhile read. By Rachel Boyd <[email protected]>