Vesper by Jeff Sampson
Mostly content to live in her geek world, Emily Webb is suddenly feeling very different at night, almost as if another personality has overtaken her calm and boring self, encouraging her to become brave and daring. While the feelings were fantastic, they were also a bit unnerving, especially after Emily received a call from her best friend, Megan, who told her about the other Emily, Emily Cooke, who had been murdered earlier that evening. Confused and stunned, Emily looked down at herself and was horrified to see the completely inappropriate clothing and makeup she was wearing.
Attempting to get to school and pretend nothing had happened wasn’t working, so Emily accepted an invitation to a party for the deceased Emily and was surprised to find that, just as it had happened the previous night, meek and mild Emily Webb was suddenly someone who relished confrontation and carelessly took what she wanted, even someone else’s boyfriend. As Emily kissed Dalton, his girlfriend, Nikki, caught them and demanded to go home. Somewhere outside the party, though, the murderer waited, shooting Dalton, who remained in a coma. Are there any connections between Emily Cooke’s murder and Dalton’s shooting? Do Emily Webb’s bizarre personality changes have anything to do with the shootings? Who—or what—is pulling Emily into a world where she is cruel and confident, fearless and fierce, and confrontational and combative?
I really enjoyed this YA story and could relate to Emily Webb’s search to find herself, although when I tried out different personas, I wasn’t as extreme. At least I don’t think I was. It’s been a while. As Emily learns more about the Vesper program, she finds that she is not alone, and I think that is really the most important point. Although Vesper has overtones of weirdness, she is not alone. I was captivated by the action and intrigue as she did all she could to understand what she had become and would be interested in reading of Emily’s further adventures.
Book Stats:
- Reading level: Ages 13 and up
- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Balzer + Bray (January 25, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0061992763
- ASIN: B005OI01CA
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Hi I think your blog is really interesting on finding ones self. A very good friend of mine went through a personality change for the better very easily.
Thanks for reminding me why I wanted to read this. Need to dig it out.