Praise for The Half Life of Molly Pierce

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up—In this mystery unraveled in reverse, Molly begins to fit together pieces of a life only half-remembered, due to frequent blackouts. After witnessing a tragic accident during which a dying stranger seems to know her, memories of those blackout periods begin to return. When the teen connects with the stranger's brother, she feels an intense, familiar love, and Molly questions what she thinks she knows about herself. The protagonist's Dissociative Identity Disorder allows her characterization to unfold slowly, the narrative building on short bursts of memories that go further back in time, revealing more secrets further in to the story. The disorientation at the novel's start begins to settle as the flashbacks occur, and the sense of urgency for the two alternating time lines to merge intensifies with the girl's increasing melancholy and thoughts of self-harm. Molly's relationship with her other identity, Mabel, is most developed and therefore most interesting. The race to uncover Molly's truth will keep readers turning pages.—Sarah Townsend, Norfolk Public Library, VA

From Booklist

Leno’s fascinating debut introduces 17-year-old Molly, whose bouts of missing time begin to reappear to chilling effect. It begins with a crash: Molly witnesses a motorcycle accident, and with his last breath, the dying boy behaves as if he knows her. At the hospital, Molly meets his brother, Sayer—or has she already met him? Slowly she begins to chip away at a second personality named Mabel, and what Mabel has been up to is anyone’s guess. By necessity, the plot is fractured, jerking back and forth along a split time line, but what it all leads to is something original indeed: the poignant idea that being an invented personality can be a sad and tragic thing. The circular events and dialogue are thematically fitting, though the repetition does feel like filler at times (“‘Wait,’ I say. He waits. I wait. We wait.”) and holds Molly back from being a fully dynamic character. That said, her resignation about having to keep love “ephemeral” is affecting, and readers will absolutely need to know the end of this unique inward-facing mystery. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus

“Introduces a fierce new presence.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

“A fascinating debut . . . something original indeed. Readers will absolutely need to know the end of this unique inward-facing mystery.” (ALA Booklist)

“A fast-moving thriller . . . relentless.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Possibly the most thrilling, suspenseful, and mysterious book of 2014 . . A must-read that should be read in book clubs worldwide. 5 out of 5 bright, beautiful stars.” (Teenreads.com)

“A smart, seductive page turner, deeply felt and full of surprises.” (Madeleine George, author of The Difference Between You and Me)

“Unfolds its careful origami slowly and hypnotically, taking on one shape after another before finally revealing itself as something stranger and more beautiful than I’d anticipated. A moving, expertly wrought story that will keep surprising you past the last page.” (Bennet Madison, author of September Girls)

“The race to uncover Molly’s truth will keep readers turning pages.” (School Library Journal)

“A Tilt-A-Whirl of a first novel, a breathtaking thrill ride that takes you in one direction and then spins you off in another, over and over, keeping you guessing with every turn of the page.” (Michael Thomas Ford, author of Suicide Notes)