Melt by Selene Castrovilla

Melt by Selene Castrovilla
Pub: 11/6/2014
Pgs: 280
ARC provided by NetGalley


This was good.  I have to admit it, this story got to me; however, based on my 3 stars it could have been better.  Dorothy and Joey are about to experience the phenomenon labeled: INSTALOVE.  Neither one will no what hit them, but they will fall hard.  Dorothy is the new girl from NYC, she lives in a huge home, and has pretty decent parents.  Joey is the bad boy punk at school, who gets into too many fights, lives in a modest home, and his father, the police officer, routinely beats Joey's mother.  Dorothy, or Doll as Joey likes to call her, and Joey could not be any more different, but in each other they find understanding, purity, rebellion, and love. 

There was a lot going on in this novel.  Given two perspectives, that of Joey and Dorothy, each perspective is delivered differently.  Dorothy is in verse, while Joey is in prose.  I kind of liked that distinction because it seemed like Joey would have never been able to coherently finish a thought based on his up bringing.  I don't mean that beating your children will make you stupid, I mean sometimes being in an abusive home you tend to be antsy, nervous, and perhaps fickle in thought.  Dorothy was the voice of reason for much of the novel and she was able to show that in the complete thoughts she laid out to the readers.

What didn't work for me, but wasn't a huge issue, was the tie in to The Wizard of Oz.  This is not a remake, and the only other connection is that her name is Dorothy.  I guess you could really over analyze this book and come up with how Joey is the embodiment of someone without a heart, brain, or courage until Dorothy shows him that he has plenty of love, smarts, and courage to stand up to his father.  Overall I liked this extremely quick read, with just enough substance to make you go, "hmm" at the end.

3.5 stars out of 5.  Thanks NetGalley