Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly

Revolution is a thrilling historical fiction novel written by Jennifer Donnelly, who is also the author of A Northern Light. The novel is about the life of high school senior Andi, whose younger brother Truman has died after being hit by a car. On the verge of expulsion at her snobby, New York private school (for not having started on her senior thesis on a famous musician), Andi turns to music and antidepressants as her safe havens. Andi’s Nobel Prize winning geneticist father left years before Truman’s death; her artist mother copes with her depression by painting portraits of her lost son. Several times in the novel, Andi has deep thoughts of suicide, but manages to pull back into reality at the last second. She feels as though her brother’s accident was her fault. All she has left of him is a key that he bought at a flea market that she wears around her neck.

Andi’s life completely changes when her father makes an unexpected visit and forces her to come with him to Paris over winter break, for he is going to test a heart believed to belong to Louis-Charles, the lost king of France who was jailed and beaten at a young age. Andi is extremely reluctant to go, especially since her father puts her mother in a psychiatric hospital; in fact, she makes a deal with her father that if she finishes a good draft of her thesis by a certain day, she can go home early. But after taking residence in the home of a family friend, who happens to be a historian, Andi never expects to find a diary written by Alexandrine Paradis, Louis-Charles’ caretaker, in a guitar case that could only be opened by Truman’s infamous key. She discovers that Alex’s and her lives are very much alike and learns about long-lost historical secrets that are not found in history books.

Revolution is a captivating book full of romance, mystery, and unexpected plot twists. Readers will be entranced and will not want to put the book down until the final page. It is a remarkable book that teaches readers about fate and the connections between the past and present.

The author's website: http://www.jenniferdonnelly.com

By: Erissa Irani