Release Day Review: Indigo

Author: Gina Linko
Series: Standalone
Released: October 22nd 2013
Publisher: Random House Children's
Hardcover, 304 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

A gift?

A curse?

A moment that changes everything. . . .

Caught in an unexpected spring squall, Corrine's first instinct is to protect her little sister Sophie after a nasty fall. But when Corrine reaches out to comfort her sister, the exact opposite occurs. Her touch--charged with an otherworldly force and bursting with blinding indigo color--surges violently from Corrine to her sister. In an instant, Sophie is dead. From that moment on, Corrine convinces herself that everyone would be better off if she simply withdrew from life.

When her family abruptly moves to New Orleans, Corrine's withdrawal is made all the easier. No friends. No connections. No chance of hurting anyone. But strange things continue to happen around her in this haunting, mystical city. And she realizes that her power cannot be ignored, especially when Rennick, a talented local artist with a bad-boy past, suggests another possibility: Corrine might have the touch. An ability to heal those around her. But knowing what happened to her sister, can Corrine trust her gift?

A year ago, Gina Linko’s very strong debut, Flutter, left me convinced that I’ve discovered an author worthy of attention. Today, after finishing Gina’s sophomore Young Adult novel, I’m thrilled to report that I wasn’t wrong in the least. Ms. Linko is a force to be reckoned with, an author you can rely on for excellent stories and quality prose.

Her writing has a certain easy elegance that’s very difficult to describe, but extremely easy to enjoy. Her sentences are clean and neat, but distinctive nevertheless. Not many authors have this skill, but Linko developed it to absolute perfection. It’s something I admire both as a reader and as a linguist.

Aside from the superb writing, Linko can always be counted on for excellent characterization. Indigo focuses on Corrine, a girl convinced that she killed her little sister with her touch. She remembers touching Sophie when she fell, she remembers an odd feeling and a strong Indigo light, and the next thing she remembers is waking up and finding her sister dead, clearly by Corrine’s hand. Corrine’s life is burdened with such terrible guilt and misery that it’s impossible not to like her right from the start. Not many could survive what she did, and her refusal to touch other people and the loneliness that stemmed from it brought tears to my eyes on several occasions.

When Rennick enters her life, he knows more about her than she’s willing to accept, but he doesn’t magically cure all her problems overnight. It is a long and painful battle, both for Corrine’s sanity and their romance, but Rennick is relentless. I love these quiet, gentle romances that aren’t flashy or overly dramatic, but that somehow make sense right from the start.

Through Corrine, Linko explored the moral questions that follow an unusual power. Being able to heal people brings with it a series of impossible questions, with no right or wrong answers. Who to save? How to choose? How to live with the guilt for all those you couldn’t save? I loved that no definitive answers were given.

Although Flutter remains my favorite, I recognize that Indigo is a superior novel in many ways. But whichever of these books you decide to read, I promise you won’t regret it. Linko is an author that deserves a chance.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.