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Picture Me Gone
Printz Award-winning author Meg Rosoff's latest novel is a gorgeous and unforgettable page-turner about the relationship between parents and children, love and loss.
Mila has an exceptional talent for reading a room—sensing hidden facts and unspoken emotions from clues that others overlook. So when her father’s best friend, Matthew, goes missing from his upstate New York home, Mila and her beloved father travel from London to find him. She collects information about Matthew from his belongings, from his wife and baby, from the dog he left behind and from the ghosts of his past—slowly piecing together the story everyone else has missed. But just when she’s closest to solving the mystery, a shocking betrayal calls into question her trust in the one person she thought she could read best.
Mila has an exceptional talent for reading a room—sensing hidden facts and unspoken emotions from clues that others overlook. So when her father’s best friend, Matthew, goes missing from his upstate New York home, Mila and her beloved father travel from London to find him. She collects information about Matthew from his belongings, from his wife and baby, from the dog he left behind and from the ghosts of his past—slowly piecing together the story everyone else has missed. But just when she’s closest to solving the mystery, a shocking betrayal calls into question her trust in the one person she thought she could read best.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 3, 2013
About the author
Meg Rosoff
52 books1,123 followersMeg Rosoff was born in Boston and had three or four careers in publishing and advertising before she moved to London in 1989, where she lives now with her husband and daughter. Formerly a Young Adult author, Meg has earned numerous prizes including the highest American and British honors for YA fiction: the Michael L. Printz Award and the Carnegie Medal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 771 reviews
January 16, 2014
This reads like the sort of self-consciously literary book that wins awards and ends up on school curriculums to be dutifully read by bored middle schoolers, forced to explore the themes of adulthood vs. childhood or friendship and communication. I admired most of the writing and kept reading to find out what happened without really connecting emotionally with any of it. The voice of the main character was consistently appealing but I found her unconvincing as a twelve-year-old and her special powers seemed superfluous much of the time. The big revelations (where the missing friend is and what happened the night of the car accident) are underwhelming in the extreme; I appreciated the sophistication of what the writer was saying about life and our perceptions and expectations, but mostly felt let down by the anticlimactic ending.
September 18, 2018
"Not everything you want to know is explained properly on Google."
Just for featuring that sentence, I love this book.
But apart from containing that sentence, which I have quoted unknowingly a million times to my googlaholic children, it is also a beautiful story about a girl confronted with the problems of the grown-up world, set up as a quest to solve a mystery.
There are brilliant, wonderful language reflections, showing the importance of finding the right words and translating not only between different languages but also from one human being's mind to another. It is a book about reading other people:
"I've noticed that the magic of getting along with someone isn't really magic. If you break it down, you can see how it happens. You say something a bit off-center and see if they react. If they get it, they push it a bit further. Then it's your turn again. And theirs. And so on, until it's banter. Once it's banter, it's friendship."
I loved the use of text messages to show the fragmentary way of communication we use in the era of all-powerful cell phones.
And it is a nuanced description of how old relationships can break and new ones be formed, sometimes through spontaneous random occurrences, and sometimes slowly, over time.
And it is a a book of tiny bits of hope and wisdom:
“I will not always be happy, but perhaps, if I'm lucky, I will be spared the agony of adding pain to the world.”
And I got all of that by accident, expecting nothing, reading for work. Sometimes you receive a little gem when you least expect it. In times like these, I have learned to appreciate that!
Just for featuring that sentence, I love this book.
But apart from containing that sentence, which I have quoted unknowingly a million times to my googlaholic children, it is also a beautiful story about a girl confronted with the problems of the grown-up world, set up as a quest to solve a mystery.
There are brilliant, wonderful language reflections, showing the importance of finding the right words and translating not only between different languages but also from one human being's mind to another. It is a book about reading other people:
"I've noticed that the magic of getting along with someone isn't really magic. If you break it down, you can see how it happens. You say something a bit off-center and see if they react. If they get it, they push it a bit further. Then it's your turn again. And theirs. And so on, until it's banter. Once it's banter, it's friendship."
I loved the use of text messages to show the fragmentary way of communication we use in the era of all-powerful cell phones.
And it is a nuanced description of how old relationships can break and new ones be formed, sometimes through spontaneous random occurrences, and sometimes slowly, over time.
And it is a a book of tiny bits of hope and wisdom:
“I will not always be happy, but perhaps, if I'm lucky, I will be spared the agony of adding pain to the world.”
And I got all of that by accident, expecting nothing, reading for work. Sometimes you receive a little gem when you least expect it. In times like these, I have learned to appreciate that!
December 21, 2023
DNF.
Can not continue. Do not connect with the story.
Can not continue. Do not connect with the story.
January 26, 2016
My first Rosoff. I am underwhelmed. I didn't quite buy Mila's "special abilities" and I found the voice to be, while consistent, way older than twelve.
November 17, 2013
I've read the issues people have had with Picture Me Gone but I don't share them. I found this book completely engaging and I liked the way my assumptions were turned upside down. How often in life does the exotic and exciting turn out to be far more mundane than we imagine? Daily life is full of those split-second actions and decision that can turn tragic in the blink of an eye. How we manage those is the real stuff of life as Mila realizes. Her expectations and ours as readers of some dramatic mystery meets the reality of how life can change in an instant, how what is left unsaid can change a relationship and how connecting to the people you care for has to be continuous and purposeful in the face of life's capriciousness.
I understand the criticism of Mila's too-old voice but it was not something that bothered me as it was consistent, unique and, for me, absorbing. Rosoff gave me enough reasons to accept and believe it. I appreciated the counter-balance Mila's struggles with her on-again off-again friendship with her childhood friend and the sweetness of her attraction to Jake.
Incredibly thought-provoking themes and Rosoff's craftsmanship and use of language make this one of my favorites of the year.
I understand the criticism of Mila's too-old voice but it was not something that bothered me as it was consistent, unique and, for me, absorbing. Rosoff gave me enough reasons to accept and believe it. I appreciated the counter-balance Mila's struggles with her on-again off-again friendship with her childhood friend and the sweetness of her attraction to Jake.
Incredibly thought-provoking themes and Rosoff's craftsmanship and use of language make this one of my favorites of the year.
May 25, 2015
From page one, when Mila describes how she was named after a dog, and recognizes her own special "doglike" abilities, it is obvious this book will not be like any other you've read before.
Mila is a child thrown into an adult world. She has never before considered her parents' past lives, their previous relationships, or any mistakes and regrets that led them ultimately to their current (content) lives. She doesn't want to consider these things either, but she is forced into doing so when her father's best friend goes missing and Mila is along for the mystery.
Everything that unravels is the undoing of childhood innocence: grief, guilt, alcholism, infidelity, depression, abandonment, lifelong secrets, growing older, and growing apart from friends and family.
Mila does not have the emotional maturity to understand her situation, particularly her parents' attempt to protect her through lying, even while she's physically in the thick of the mystery. She wants to leave, go home, move away from this situation and the inexplicable feelings she's experiencing for the first time. But home is different as well. Her erratic best friend reveals her parents are divorcing.
This book shows Mila open Pandora's box, and awareness of all the world's evils floods into her life. The only hope is that all of these evils happen to Mila indirectly. Her own family is fine, her own life merely interrupted, perhaps not irrevocably altered. But awareness changes everything when you are 12. It's like a speaker turns on the first time you hear adult conversations around you.
So who wants to read this? What teen or child wants to read an anticlimactic mystery that's populated nearly 100% with adult characters and adult concerns? Who wants to be immersed in this bleak look at what adulthood might be like?
It's a philosophical gem and rightful award nominee, but it is also perhaps a book for discussion, not for enjoyment.
Mila is a child thrown into an adult world. She has never before considered her parents' past lives, their previous relationships, or any mistakes and regrets that led them ultimately to their current (content) lives. She doesn't want to consider these things either, but she is forced into doing so when her father's best friend goes missing and Mila is along for the mystery.
Everything that unravels is the undoing of childhood innocence: grief, guilt, alcholism, infidelity, depression, abandonment, lifelong secrets, growing older, and growing apart from friends and family.
Mila does not have the emotional maturity to understand her situation, particularly her parents' attempt to protect her through lying, even while she's physically in the thick of the mystery. She wants to leave, go home, move away from this situation and the inexplicable feelings she's experiencing for the first time. But home is different as well. Her erratic best friend reveals her parents are divorcing.
This book shows Mila open Pandora's box, and awareness of all the world's evils floods into her life. The only hope is that all of these evils happen to Mila indirectly. Her own family is fine, her own life merely interrupted, perhaps not irrevocably altered. But awareness changes everything when you are 12. It's like a speaker turns on the first time you hear adult conversations around you.
So who wants to read this? What teen or child wants to read an anticlimactic mystery that's populated nearly 100% with adult characters and adult concerns? Who wants to be immersed in this bleak look at what adulthood might be like?
It's a philosophical gem and rightful award nominee, but it is also perhaps a book for discussion, not for enjoyment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2018
The MC was pretentious in a way somewhat similar to John Green in that the 12-year-old protagonist is very wise beyond their years. There were subtle instances of sexism that colored her worldview that really irritated me, particularly because she was supposedly very wise beyond her years. There was also a subtle condemnation of how secondary characters lived their lives that gave off extreme why-isn't-everyone-as-smart-as-me-vibes. It passed the time at work but overall, wasn't exactly worth the investment.
Also, I feel like Matthew was let off the hook way too easily.
Also, I feel like Matthew was let off the hook way too easily.
December 10, 2013
Have you ever seen a terrier at work? It stands stock-still, quivering all over with anticipation, waiting for the moment the slip collar comes off. Then there’s a fraction of a second where it seems to explode, launching itself forward at its prey. And a terrible snarling and growling and shaking and squeaking as it gets to grips, quite literally, with the rat. It’s not nice, but it is impressive. And quick.
It is not a sense of responsibility or a desire to please that makes a dog do this. It’s what they’re bred to do. They can’t help it. If I were a dog, I’d be part terrier.
-----
This is a coming-of-age novel of an unusual sort. Mila goes on an adventure and learns about herself and the world, but she is not the central character of the adventure. She is not the main focus of the other characters and does not propel the action, but is in fact rather peripheral to the mystery at hand. She's a passenger on the journey. She's an observer.
Fortunately, she's the keenest of observers. Almost a Sherlock Holmes, you could say. She sees a situation and she knows where everything stands. Where everyone stands.
Usually. This mystery involves the disappearance of her father's old best friend right as she is about to join him on vacation to visit the friend for the first time in years. This mystery involves things that can't be learned through simple observation because they are intentionally hidden behind lies, omissions, and deceptions. This mystery involves complications and contradictions that teach her adulthood may not be at all what she has thought.
So, observant readers may have gathered that this book is not one of great action and monumental happenings. It is a story of character and voice. The excitement and tension are much more internal than external. And yet the character and voice are so brilliantly realized, the excitement and tension so believable and compelling, that I loved everything about this book from cover to cover. It was fascinating and captivating.
-----
Marieka notices the world in what she calls a Scandinavian way, which means without a lot of drama. I register every emotion, every relationship, every subtext. If someone is angry or sad or disappointed, I see it like a neon sign. There’s no way to explain how, I just do. For a long time I thought everyone did. . . . .
Gil says human capacities are vast and varied. He doesn’t understand how people can speak just one language. Certain combinations of chords make Marieka wince. I peer into souls.
. . .
I know because I know. Sometimes I can say, Aha! An empty bottle of nail varnish. That’s how I know. Meat in a can—no woman eats meat in a can. A dozen empty beer cans, the cheap sort, there’s a hint. But usually it’s nothing so obvious. I look at a picture and I see the things that aren’t visible at that moment. It’s not that I’m some sort of mystic; I just see a constellation of tiny facts too small for other people to notice. I don’t specifically register each element of the constellation but the overall impression will be clear.
-----
Despite the fact that I can sweep a crime scene for rats like a terrier, I frequently have trouble putting clues together due to gaps in my knowledge of the world. I could do with a middle-aged accomplice.
-----
What I like about Jake is how much he observes and how little any of it seems to ruffle his feathers. It’s like he’s taken the entire adult world on board and decided it’s mildly amusing and mildly irrelevant.
-----
I cannot picture me grown up. I cannot picture me any different from the me I am now. I cannot picture me old or married or dead.
It is not a sense of responsibility or a desire to please that makes a dog do this. It’s what they’re bred to do. They can’t help it. If I were a dog, I’d be part terrier.
-----
This is a coming-of-age novel of an unusual sort. Mila goes on an adventure and learns about herself and the world, but she is not the central character of the adventure. She is not the main focus of the other characters and does not propel the action, but is in fact rather peripheral to the mystery at hand. She's a passenger on the journey. She's an observer.
Fortunately, she's the keenest of observers. Almost a Sherlock Holmes, you could say. She sees a situation and she knows where everything stands. Where everyone stands.
Usually. This mystery involves the disappearance of her father's old best friend right as she is about to join him on vacation to visit the friend for the first time in years. This mystery involves things that can't be learned through simple observation because they are intentionally hidden behind lies, omissions, and deceptions. This mystery involves complications and contradictions that teach her adulthood may not be at all what she has thought.
So, observant readers may have gathered that this book is not one of great action and monumental happenings. It is a story of character and voice. The excitement and tension are much more internal than external. And yet the character and voice are so brilliantly realized, the excitement and tension so believable and compelling, that I loved everything about this book from cover to cover. It was fascinating and captivating.
-----
Marieka notices the world in what she calls a Scandinavian way, which means without a lot of drama. I register every emotion, every relationship, every subtext. If someone is angry or sad or disappointed, I see it like a neon sign. There’s no way to explain how, I just do. For a long time I thought everyone did. . . . .
Gil says human capacities are vast and varied. He doesn’t understand how people can speak just one language. Certain combinations of chords make Marieka wince. I peer into souls.
. . .
I know because I know. Sometimes I can say, Aha! An empty bottle of nail varnish. That’s how I know. Meat in a can—no woman eats meat in a can. A dozen empty beer cans, the cheap sort, there’s a hint. But usually it’s nothing so obvious. I look at a picture and I see the things that aren’t visible at that moment. It’s not that I’m some sort of mystic; I just see a constellation of tiny facts too small for other people to notice. I don’t specifically register each element of the constellation but the overall impression will be clear.
-----
Despite the fact that I can sweep a crime scene for rats like a terrier, I frequently have trouble putting clues together due to gaps in my knowledge of the world. I could do with a middle-aged accomplice.
-----
What I like about Jake is how much he observes and how little any of it seems to ruffle his feathers. It’s like he’s taken the entire adult world on board and decided it’s mildly amusing and mildly irrelevant.
-----
I cannot picture me grown up. I cannot picture me any different from the me I am now. I cannot picture me old or married or dead.
April 4, 2018
A bit of a mystery novel, as a teen and her dad fly from London to New York to search for his missing friend. Emphasis is on the characters' relationships, rather than being a fast-paced thriller. It was a bit slow in the middle, but held my interest to the end.
October 1, 2013
Rosoff, as always, delivers a stunning, emotional read with PICTURE ME GONE. 12-year old Londoner, Mila, has accompanied her father, Gil, to New York where is estranged best friend, Matthew, has disappeared. Mila notices things. An observer with a keen eye, she connects small details others dismiss or overlook. She's puzzled by Matthew's disappearance, and as she and Gil attempt to unravel the mysteries of Matthew's life - his motives, his relationships, his guilt - Mila comes to realize big ideas about life, trust, and the things that define who we are. Absolutely brilliant and beautifully written, PICTURE ME GONE is Important with a capital I.
July 11, 2016
Link naar mijn recensie: https://femkel33st.wordpress.com/2016...
'Samenvattend vind ik dit zeker een goed boek, het beviel me beter dan ik had verwacht. Ik dacht dat het verhaal niet echt ergens over zou gaan, maar het goede verhaal verraste me. Hoewel het uiteindelijk meeviel, denk ik dat Meg de aanhalingstekens beter wel had kunnen plaatsen om verwarring te voorkomen. Ook is het raar dat Mila haar ouders bij hun naam noemt. En ze had een andere leeftijd dan 12 moeten krijgen, want het boek is niet zo kinderlijk als je zou verwachten met een twaalfjarig hoofdpersonage. Maar het verhaal is mooi en de thema’s zijn goed in balans.'
'Samenvattend vind ik dit zeker een goed boek, het beviel me beter dan ik had verwacht. Ik dacht dat het verhaal niet echt ergens over zou gaan, maar het goede verhaal verraste me. Hoewel het uiteindelijk meeviel, denk ik dat Meg de aanhalingstekens beter wel had kunnen plaatsen om verwarring te voorkomen. Ook is het raar dat Mila haar ouders bij hun naam noemt. En ze had een andere leeftijd dan 12 moeten krijgen, want het boek is niet zo kinderlijk als je zou verwachten met een twaalfjarig hoofdpersonage. Maar het verhaal is mooi en de thema’s zijn goed in balans.'
February 7, 2017
4,25 stars
Until 50 pages before the end, this book was definitely a five-starred book for me. But I didn't like the ending at all. Why? Because it felt like the author wanted to "teach" us something. Though that's pretty much always what an author wants to, this "lesson' was way too obvious, and I always feel uncomfortable with that.
Okay, BUT I liked the rest of this book so much! This book looks like a cute contemporary, but it's a detective story. It was really interesting. It was weird to read a book without inverted commas, though.
Until 50 pages before the end, this book was definitely a five-starred book for me. But I didn't like the ending at all. Why? Because it felt like the author wanted to "teach" us something. Though that's pretty much always what an author wants to, this "lesson' was way too obvious, and I always feel uncomfortable with that.
Okay, BUT I liked the rest of this book so much! This book looks like a cute contemporary, but it's a detective story. It was really interesting. It was weird to read a book without inverted commas, though.
December 18, 2015
Full of mysteries, full of secrets. Who knew translating was such an emotional process.
Mila's ability to read into people deeper than normal somewhat connected to her father's job. Not sure if I liked where the story was left, but I did enjoy this as a binge read.
Mila's ability to read into people deeper than normal somewhat connected to her father's job. Not sure if I liked where the story was left, but I did enjoy this as a binge read.
July 19, 2017
It's not that bad but also not that good. I liked it but i was waiting more mysterious things! That's why i give 3 out of 5 stars
March 21, 2022
3,5 sterren. Heel mooi boek maar voelt enigszins onafgemaakt, of voor mij in ieder geval lichtelijk onbevredigend
May 8, 2015
This review was originally published on Blogs of a Bookaholic.
Astoundingly honest, raw and insightful. Whoa.
I'm kind of blown away.
There’s nowt so queer as folk, as Gil the father of the main protagonist in Picture Me Gone would say, and he sure was right.
Meg Rosoff is a fascinating writer. Her style is bizarre but distinct and has a sort of understand brilliance about it. I have a feeling it will divide readers, causing just as many people to hate this novel as well as love it. When I first begun the book I felt despair creeping in, I didn’t like the short opening chapter at all and wondered what I had gotten myself into. The writing was strange; at points I even had trouble understanding it. I was already beginning to judge it as a failure when all of a sudden it clicked. I started to relax into her style and it became poetic, magnetic and powerful. Every time I picked up the book to read a couple of chapters I would find myself sitting in awe afterwards, completely blown away and buzzing after what I had read. The most distinctive aspect of Rosoff's writing though has to be her banishment of speech marks, I had never come across this in a novel before and it added a refreshing twist. The effect was compelling, it gave me the impression of being very much permanently stuck in the main characters head so that I felt more immersed in the story. I loved it!
Now, this is not what I would call a plot driven novel. Although there is the mystery of a missing friend that propels the story forwards there is not a lot of action. To be formulaic about it Mila and her dad, Gil drive around meeting people that provide a slow trickle of clues alluding to Matthew’s disappearance. There are a few sub stories going on too that added further dimensions to the book. Picture Me Gone is more on the subtle side, focusing on Mila’s impressive perceptive ability to pick up on clues that even the adults don’t notice. She doesn’t discover people’s secrets by interrogating them CSI style or rifling through their secret possessions, it is all through observing and listening to people’s conversations, using the power of deduction until only a few options remain. It was so satisfying watching Mila play around with the fragments, twisting and turning them to form a picture that finally made sense. I had no clue how the events would play out all the way to the end of the novel and I have to applaud Rosoff for this because I tend to be pretty intuitive. The plot kept a consistent pace throughout and the culmination of the mystery was so truthful and raw that it gave me shivers.
The beauty of this book to me lies with its characters. The narrator Mila was so fascinating, especially her thought processes. The oddest and perhaps most interesting element of Mila’s character I felt, was that I never had a clear visual picture of her in my head. I don’t remember ever getting a paragraph describing what she looked like and the character’s age wasn't revealed until half way through the book leaving a lot up to the imagination. Some readers of course will find this annoying but I liked the ambiguity. These days we have become so obsessed with visualising characters and it was nice to just feel one for once. The secondary characters were just as vibrant. I adored every cameo role. Each had their own well thought out place in the story.
I can honestly say I have never read a book like this one before, it was unique and after turning the last page I immediately wanted to read it all over again. I have tended to shy away from contemporary fiction for quite some time, but Picture Me Gone has encouraged me to try out some more. It could be a brave new world!
You can check out my full, unabridged review and others like it Blogs of a Bookaholic. :)
July 12, 2014
this book was so not as good as i needed it to be.
i picked this one up because it seemed "important" and "award-winning". not that book awards are really ever a reason to read a book. it also promised the vague potential of mystery with an unexpected detective (a 12ish year old girl with sherlockian powers of observation). all of that sweetened the deal. then it started off with how the protagonist had been named after a dog and i began to lose my faith a little.
not that being named after a dog is a bad thing. i would have killed to be named "heidi" or "ginger" in my youth.
i guess my biggest gripe is that the narrator never felt twelve to me and that her particular loss of innocence - the deep veneer of happiness and perfection and trust that shrouded her from seeing the truth of her father's lies - all felt unbelievable.
i mean, this is a kid that could tell a random waitress was JUST pregnant. i'm pretty sure she could see through her father sooner.
of course, maybe that's the point - that when it involves those we care most about, it's hard to see the truth behind what's happening. that's why the story is infused with side plots - one about mila's terrible friend cat who is a whole host of teen dramas wrapped into one surly, fantasy-dependent static character. the main mystery of matthew's disappearance takes secondary status to mila's journey of self-discovery as she traverses the dangerously slippy road from childhood to adulthood.
that it played out literally as a road trip through a snowstorm in april only made me internally cringe, however.
mila's writing style also irked. i never felt like i was dealing with a child - rosoff's idea of youth seemingly to be creating shorter, choppier sentence structure. syntax aside, mila is still never fully believable as a child - too observant, too precocious, too naive. a child who plays human psychology with her barbies and seems wounded when they try to manipulate her in return.
the novel's resolution also feels hasty - matthew's drama pushed to the side as mila is forced to grapple with adult emotion and her first real dose of parental betrayal (nothing too horrible, but a might bit cruel, certainly). we, the readers, are then supposed to realize that this trip has not been about saving matthew but really about mila's fragile transition to adulthood (there is now jake, who represents all the sexual longings of the hormone-addled teenaged fantasies surely awaiting our precious heroine in the years to come).
see you in scotland, indeed.
2.5 stars - something just felt off to me. the story was engaging enough while there still remained some semblance of mystery, but fell apart by the clumsy finish.
i picked this one up because it seemed "important" and "award-winning". not that book awards are really ever a reason to read a book. it also promised the vague potential of mystery with an unexpected detective (a 12ish year old girl with sherlockian powers of observation). all of that sweetened the deal. then it started off with how the protagonist had been named after a dog and i began to lose my faith a little.
not that being named after a dog is a bad thing. i would have killed to be named "heidi" or "ginger" in my youth.
i guess my biggest gripe is that the narrator never felt twelve to me and that her particular loss of innocence - the deep veneer of happiness and perfection and trust that shrouded her from seeing the truth of her father's lies - all felt unbelievable.
i mean, this is a kid that could tell a random waitress was JUST pregnant. i'm pretty sure she could see through her father sooner.
of course, maybe that's the point - that when it involves those we care most about, it's hard to see the truth behind what's happening. that's why the story is infused with side plots - one about mila's terrible friend cat who is a whole host of teen dramas wrapped into one surly, fantasy-dependent static character. the main mystery of matthew's disappearance takes secondary status to mila's journey of self-discovery as she traverses the dangerously slippy road from childhood to adulthood.
that it played out literally as a road trip through a snowstorm in april only made me internally cringe, however.
mila's writing style also irked. i never felt like i was dealing with a child - rosoff's idea of youth seemingly to be creating shorter, choppier sentence structure. syntax aside, mila is still never fully believable as a child - too observant, too precocious, too naive. a child who plays human psychology with her barbies and seems wounded when they try to manipulate her in return.
the novel's resolution also feels hasty - matthew's drama pushed to the side as mila is forced to grapple with adult emotion and her first real dose of parental betrayal (nothing too horrible, but a might bit cruel, certainly). we, the readers, are then supposed to realize that this trip has not been about saving matthew but really about mila's fragile transition to adulthood (there is now jake, who represents all the sexual longings of the hormone-addled teenaged fantasies surely awaiting our precious heroine in the years to come).
see you in scotland, indeed.
2.5 stars - something just felt off to me. the story was engaging enough while there still remained some semblance of mystery, but fell apart by the clumsy finish.
December 18, 2013
Things I loved about this book? The little, well-observed observations about life in north New York State. What people eat for breakfast in a motel. What they sell in Wallmart. I also liked the fact that Mila's family and friends had an eclectic and interesting background. The characters were well-drawn and believable.
Things I didn't like about this book? The single draw in this book is 'what's happened to Matthew'. But Matthew, the central character in all of this, isn't a young adult, he's a grown-up so is this really the right kind of hook for teenagers? My book group would disagree, and so did I. Added to that he becomes a fairly unlikable grown-up and consequently you become less bothered about what has actually happened to him as the story goes on. I finished this book, but probably only because it was so short. The draw sinply wasn't strong enough for me, and it got weaker the more I read.
The theme, or lasting message, from this book is that Mila realises that adults aren't perfect. Even her own parents have lied to her. She does ultimately forgive them but I think if it was me it would have taken a bit longer than that.
(this next bit may contain spoilers - sorry!)
But I have two issues with this book. First is that it stops before it ends. You never do find out what ultimately happens to Matthew. You've been asked to care about him enough to read the book and then you're supposed to just forget about him when Mila and her father leave. Secondly I just didn't understand why her father took her on the crazy seven hour road trip when he knew all along that Matthew wasn't going to be there. Maybe I missed something. But what on earth was the point of that whole journey, other than a good excuse for a story?
I admit I've never entirely 'got' Meg Rosoff. But on this occassion my book group didn't really get her either. I can see that many adults would see something profound in this story, but this isn't a book designed to be read by them and the teenagers I gave it to (who are a very well-read bunch) didn't, on the whole, get drawn in to it or moved by it in that way.
Things I didn't like about this book? The single draw in this book is 'what's happened to Matthew'. But Matthew, the central character in all of this, isn't a young adult, he's a grown-up so is this really the right kind of hook for teenagers? My book group would disagree, and so did I. Added to that he becomes a fairly unlikable grown-up and consequently you become less bothered about what has actually happened to him as the story goes on. I finished this book, but probably only because it was so short. The draw sinply wasn't strong enough for me, and it got weaker the more I read.
The theme, or lasting message, from this book is that Mila realises that adults aren't perfect. Even her own parents have lied to her. She does ultimately forgive them but I think if it was me it would have taken a bit longer than that.
(this next bit may contain spoilers - sorry!)
But I have two issues with this book. First is that it stops before it ends. You never do find out what ultimately happens to Matthew. You've been asked to care about him enough to read the book and then you're supposed to just forget about him when Mila and her father leave. Secondly I just didn't understand why her father took her on the crazy seven hour road trip when he knew all along that Matthew wasn't going to be there. Maybe I missed something. But what on earth was the point of that whole journey, other than a good excuse for a story?
I admit I've never entirely 'got' Meg Rosoff. But on this occassion my book group didn't really get her either. I can see that many adults would see something profound in this story, but this isn't a book designed to be read by them and the teenagers I gave it to (who are a very well-read bunch) didn't, on the whole, get drawn in to it or moved by it in that way.
March 18, 2014
I read this book on the recommendation of a friend who was blown away by the story, and I'm so glad I took her suggestion. It's a quick read but a powerful one, with not a lot of action but an abundance of emotion. The characters are rich and fascinating, and the writing is beautiful, and it left me extremely thoughtful which to me is part of the definition of a great book. Thanks Becky :).
February 1, 2014
There should be a 6 star category for Meg Rosoff books. That is all.
February 18, 2018
מילה, ילדה חדת אבחנה, נוסעת מלונדון לארה״ב עם אביה ויוצאת למסע חיפושים בעקבות חבר ילדות שלו שנעלם שהוא גם מסע התבגרות שלה.
מילה היא דמות מעניינת שכותבת כמה פעמים שהיא בת 12 אבל נשמעת בוגרת יותר רוב הזמן. חוץ ממנה לא קורה יותר מדי בסיפור והוא די משעמם. משום מה הסופרת וההוצאה לא שמעו על מירכאות וקשה להבין בין מה שמילה חושבת או אומרת וזה הופך קטעים בספר למבלבלים מאוד.
מילה היא דמות מעניינת שכותבת כמה פעמים שהיא בת 12 אבל נשמעת בוגרת יותר רוב הזמן. חוץ ממנה לא קורה יותר מדי בסיפור והוא די משעמם. משום מה הסופרת וההוצאה לא שמעו על מירכאות וקשה להבין בין מה שמילה חושבת או אומרת וזה הופך קטעים בספר למבלבלים מאוד.
December 20, 2020
Um. Did not enjoy?
August 12, 2016
I first saw the cover for Picture Me Gone quite a while before it was published and I thought it was going to be a silly, whimsical story. (I think it reminded me of
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
!). But the categories on Goodreads are pretty accurate: young adult, mystery, contemporary, family, road trip and coming-of-age.
Mila is a twelve-year-old whose maturity means that you cannot tell her age just by listening to her. She's both intuitive and rational at the same time. She can tell whether you're in a healthy relationship just by looking around your home or that you're unhappy just by paying attention to your body language, even if you say otherwise. Mila cannot explain why little clues and signs jump out at her – they just do. Her gift means that she is brilliant at solving mysteries and puzzles, so when her father's old friend, Matthew, goes missing – taking off, leaving his wife, baby son and a dog who adores him – Mila think she's up to the challenge.
Mila leaves England with her father, Gil, and heads off to New York to begin a road trip across North America, on a diet of Wagon Wheels and American diners. Matthew has clearly got himself into a bit of a pickle. What made him leave, where is he and why has he not come back? But you start Picture Me Gone thinking that the story is about Matthew's disappearance only to see that it's about looking through Mila's eyes as she discovers the difficulties of translating people, just as her father translates books. Mila starts to realise that adults do not always have the right answers and that answers depend on whether you ask the right questions.
If you've read How I Live Now , you'll be familiar with Meg Rosoff's writing style. Picture Me Gone is similarly written: simplistic and without speech marks. It's a little unusual but you fall into it incredibly easily and quickly. Mila is acts much older than her age and her thoughts are much more mature, drawing you into her smart observations and feelings about why people act the way they do. And sometimes she comes up blank because adults just do not make sense. Mila reminds us what it's like to think like a child, wondering why things have to be as complex as they are. And can you remember how impossible it was to imagine yourself as an adult? Mila is a sparkling character with a captivating narration who's wonderful to spend time with. We get to appreciate little moments, like when she tries to purchase an epic Easter egg for her best friend Caitlin back home or when she's sitting on a motel bed with her father, trying to work everything out. Or her thoughts as she's travelling through a wintry landscape so different to home. (Picture Me Gone also led me on a journey to find Jammie Wagon Wheels, but I've only tracked down the mini ones!).
Picture Me Gone is a unique, memorable novel exploring how people observe, interpret, signal and theorise each other. It shows us what growing up is really about: understanding yourself and others, but accepting that you may not always get the answers you're looking for.
Thank you Penguin Books for providing this book to review!
I also reviewed this book over on Pretty Books.
Mila is a twelve-year-old whose maturity means that you cannot tell her age just by listening to her. She's both intuitive and rational at the same time. She can tell whether you're in a healthy relationship just by looking around your home or that you're unhappy just by paying attention to your body language, even if you say otherwise. Mila cannot explain why little clues and signs jump out at her – they just do. Her gift means that she is brilliant at solving mysteries and puzzles, so when her father's old friend, Matthew, goes missing – taking off, leaving his wife, baby son and a dog who adores him – Mila think she's up to the challenge.
Mila leaves England with her father, Gil, and heads off to New York to begin a road trip across North America, on a diet of Wagon Wheels and American diners. Matthew has clearly got himself into a bit of a pickle. What made him leave, where is he and why has he not come back? But you start Picture Me Gone thinking that the story is about Matthew's disappearance only to see that it's about looking through Mila's eyes as she discovers the difficulties of translating people, just as her father translates books. Mila starts to realise that adults do not always have the right answers and that answers depend on whether you ask the right questions.
If you've read How I Live Now , you'll be familiar with Meg Rosoff's writing style. Picture Me Gone is similarly written: simplistic and without speech marks. It's a little unusual but you fall into it incredibly easily and quickly. Mila is acts much older than her age and her thoughts are much more mature, drawing you into her smart observations and feelings about why people act the way they do. And sometimes she comes up blank because adults just do not make sense. Mila reminds us what it's like to think like a child, wondering why things have to be as complex as they are. And can you remember how impossible it was to imagine yourself as an adult? Mila is a sparkling character with a captivating narration who's wonderful to spend time with. We get to appreciate little moments, like when she tries to purchase an epic Easter egg for her best friend Caitlin back home or when she's sitting on a motel bed with her father, trying to work everything out. Or her thoughts as she's travelling through a wintry landscape so different to home. (Picture Me Gone also led me on a journey to find Jammie Wagon Wheels, but I've only tracked down the mini ones!).
Picture Me Gone is a unique, memorable novel exploring how people observe, interpret, signal and theorise each other. It shows us what growing up is really about: understanding yourself and others, but accepting that you may not always get the answers you're looking for.
Thank you Penguin Books for providing this book to review!
I also reviewed this book over on Pretty Books.
August 12, 2014
3.5 stars.
As I get older, the most baffling thing to me is how I still apparently have the emotional maturity of a 16-year-old. I've been waiting – probably since I turned 30 – to feel like I've got it all figured out. Now that I'm on the other side of 40, I'm understanding that there's no such thing as figuring it all out. And that's the important lesson Mila learns in Picture Me Gone: adults are all just 16 year-old-kids, only with mortgages and kids of their own.
It's a book where not much happens but everything happens. Mila and her father Gil travel to the U.S. from England to try and track down Matthew, Gil's best boyhood friend, who's walked away from his wife and infant son without a trace. They meet Matthew's wife and son, they travel to a cabin in upstate New York where they meet some other people (whose identity I won't spoil here), they unravel the mystery at the heart of Matthew's disappearance. There's a lot of talking and driving and ruminating. The action is slim, but the changes to Mila are seismic. She learns that parents are liars, that they betray, and that they are often just as emotionally rudderless as their children.
It is, as you might guess, an overwhelmingly melancholy book, but Rosoff gets Mila's voice exactly right for the content. Instead of being the plucky, sarcastic heroine of so many Young Adult novels, Mila is unusually perceptive but still manages to be both naive and hopeful, which counterbalances the book's mournful tone. I didn't like this one nearly as much as Rosoff's masterful How I Live Now, but this is still impressive work.
As I get older, the most baffling thing to me is how I still apparently have the emotional maturity of a 16-year-old. I've been waiting – probably since I turned 30 – to feel like I've got it all figured out. Now that I'm on the other side of 40, I'm understanding that there's no such thing as figuring it all out. And that's the important lesson Mila learns in Picture Me Gone: adults are all just 16 year-old-kids, only with mortgages and kids of their own.
It's a book where not much happens but everything happens. Mila and her father Gil travel to the U.S. from England to try and track down Matthew, Gil's best boyhood friend, who's walked away from his wife and infant son without a trace. They meet Matthew's wife and son, they travel to a cabin in upstate New York where they meet some other people (whose identity I won't spoil here), they unravel the mystery at the heart of Matthew's disappearance. There's a lot of talking and driving and ruminating. The action is slim, but the changes to Mila are seismic. She learns that parents are liars, that they betray, and that they are often just as emotionally rudderless as their children.
It is, as you might guess, an overwhelmingly melancholy book, but Rosoff gets Mila's voice exactly right for the content. Instead of being the plucky, sarcastic heroine of so many Young Adult novels, Mila is unusually perceptive but still manages to be both naive and hopeful, which counterbalances the book's mournful tone. I didn't like this one nearly as much as Rosoff's masterful How I Live Now, but this is still impressive work.
Read
July 27, 2013Twelve year old Mila is looking forward to an adventure with her father. Traveling from their home in London to visit her father's best friend in New York should provide something to brag about when she gets back home. She promises her mother she will watch out for her absent-minded father and they depart.
The first disappointment comes when Mila discovers "New York" means a thinly populated area of upstate New York not the hustle and bustle of New York City. The second unfortunate element of the trip happens when she and her father arrive at the home of Matthew and his wife Suzanne to find that Matthew has disappeared.
Sensitive to the tension in their hosts' home, Mila begins to consider all sorts of scenarios involving the missing man. He left behind his wife and young son as well as his loyal dog, all the while knowing his best friend had planned a visit. Talk about strange!
More details reveal that as son about Mila's age died in a car accident three years earlier. Matthew was the driver of the car and had been prone to depression since the death of his son. His wife Suzanne suggests that perhaps Matthew has gone to a cabin farther north so Mila and her father head off in that direction.
PICTURE ME GONE follows young Mila and her father as they attempt to solve the mystery of a missing friend. Mila's unusual relationship with her father and her uncanny ability to interpret people and situations will keep readers on their toes as each new twist and turn is revealed. This thought-provoking new novel by Meg Rosoff is due for release in October 2013.
The first disappointment comes when Mila discovers "New York" means a thinly populated area of upstate New York not the hustle and bustle of New York City. The second unfortunate element of the trip happens when she and her father arrive at the home of Matthew and his wife Suzanne to find that Matthew has disappeared.
Sensitive to the tension in their hosts' home, Mila begins to consider all sorts of scenarios involving the missing man. He left behind his wife and young son as well as his loyal dog, all the while knowing his best friend had planned a visit. Talk about strange!
More details reveal that as son about Mila's age died in a car accident three years earlier. Matthew was the driver of the car and had been prone to depression since the death of his son. His wife Suzanne suggests that perhaps Matthew has gone to a cabin farther north so Mila and her father head off in that direction.
PICTURE ME GONE follows young Mila and her father as they attempt to solve the mystery of a missing friend. Mila's unusual relationship with her father and her uncanny ability to interpret people and situations will keep readers on their toes as each new twist and turn is revealed. This thought-provoking new novel by Meg Rosoff is due for release in October 2013.
October 12, 2013
***Disclaimer: I won this as a Goodreads First Reads winner. This did not shape my opinion in any way.***
This book just wasn't for me. I couldn't get into it, and I didn't feel any connection to almost any of the characters. I think that one important aspect of a book, at least for myself, is understanding or at least liking the protagonist. But I just couldn't connect or feel almost anything for Mila.
Now, the books isn't terrible, but it just wasn't great, in my opinion. The plot felt very lacking and slow. The book was pretty anticlimactic. There was one plot twist that I enjoyed. That was when I think it really started to get better. I actually quite liked the ending, which is why this is 2/5.
Another aspect that bugged me was how there were no quotation marks around the dialog. I think that the main reason it bothered me was honestly because I had just finished reading The Road, and I just wanted to read a "normal" book again.
All in all, I think that part of this was a it's me not you type of book, but I just really couldn't get into the book at all. I pushed myself through it but not because I really enjoyed the book. I liked that it made me think at the end, but it was just very lacking in general.
This book just wasn't for me. I couldn't get into it, and I didn't feel any connection to almost any of the characters. I think that one important aspect of a book, at least for myself, is understanding or at least liking the protagonist. But I just couldn't connect or feel almost anything for Mila.
Now, the books isn't terrible, but it just wasn't great, in my opinion. The plot felt very lacking and slow. The book was pretty anticlimactic. There was one plot twist that I enjoyed. That was when I think it really started to get better. I actually quite liked the ending, which is why this is 2/5.
Another aspect that bugged me was how there were no quotation marks around the dialog. I think that the main reason it bothered me was honestly because I had just finished reading The Road, and I just wanted to read a "normal" book again.
All in all, I think that part of this was a it's me not you type of book, but I just really couldn't get into the book at all. I pushed myself through it but not because I really enjoyed the book. I liked that it made me think at the end, but it was just very lacking in general.
October 28, 2016
Mila van 12 is goed in het oplossen van raadsels en voelt mensen feilloos aan!
In gedachten zet ze alle aanwijzingen op een rijtje en komt zo tot een conclusie.
Deze ''gave'' is zeer handig maar vooral, als Matthew, een oude vriend van haar vader spoorloos verdwijnt.
Mila weet zeker dat zij hem kan vinden!
Als haar zoekpogingen tot niks lijken te leiden,begint ze te twijfelen aan haarzelf & haar gave.
De situatie blijkt toch wat complexer te zijn!..
Dit boek heb ik gelezen omdat ik deelneem aan de ''7 Days Reading Challenge''!
''Mij niet gezien'' is geschreven door Meg Rosoff, vooral bekend van het boek ''Hoe ik nu leef''!
In dit boek: ''Mij niet gezien ''worden er geen ''aanhalingstekens'' gebruikt en dit leest erg lastig en zorgt vaak voor verwarring!
Ook verwarrend is het dat Mila haar ouders bij hun voornamen noemt maar soms ook over ze spreekt als vader en moeder.
Mila is 12, maar het taal gebruik lijkt daar absoluut niet naar.
Al lezend denk je dat ze veel ouder is en dat is jammer want het komt niet erg realistisch over!
De korte hoofdstukjes zijn wel prettig.
De plottwist is verrassend, maar kan voor mij de negatieve punten helaas niet goed maken!
In gedachten zet ze alle aanwijzingen op een rijtje en komt zo tot een conclusie.
Deze ''gave'' is zeer handig maar vooral, als Matthew, een oude vriend van haar vader spoorloos verdwijnt.
Mila weet zeker dat zij hem kan vinden!
Als haar zoekpogingen tot niks lijken te leiden,begint ze te twijfelen aan haarzelf & haar gave.
De situatie blijkt toch wat complexer te zijn!..
Dit boek heb ik gelezen omdat ik deelneem aan de ''7 Days Reading Challenge''!
''Mij niet gezien'' is geschreven door Meg Rosoff, vooral bekend van het boek ''Hoe ik nu leef''!
In dit boek: ''Mij niet gezien ''worden er geen ''aanhalingstekens'' gebruikt en dit leest erg lastig en zorgt vaak voor verwarring!
Ook verwarrend is het dat Mila haar ouders bij hun voornamen noemt maar soms ook over ze spreekt als vader en moeder.
Mila is 12, maar het taal gebruik lijkt daar absoluut niet naar.
Al lezend denk je dat ze veel ouder is en dat is jammer want het komt niet erg realistisch over!
De korte hoofdstukjes zijn wel prettig.
De plottwist is verrassend, maar kan voor mij de negatieve punten helaas niet goed maken!
November 7, 2013
I would call Picture Me Gone "edgy," but that implies violent or dark, and it's more than that. You could call it a psychological mystery novel for middle-grade readers, and that would be closer. In it, the narrator is about to travel with her father from the UK to the US, to visit his oldest friend, when the friend disappears. They go ahead with the trip, hoping to be able to find him. The narrator prides herself on her powers of perception, and she uncovers a number of small mysteries about the missing man, while missing the truth behind the largest one until the end of the story... "Unsettling" is another good word for this story, as she also learns that she doesn't know her family as well as she thought she did. If you like to read sophisticated middle grade, I strongly recommend this. I think it's going to stick with me for a while.
December 2, 2013
Mila is really good at solving mysteries and noticing details that others don't. When her dad's friend disappears, she accompanies her dad to the United States to help find his friend. Along the way, Mila picks up on a lot of clues that others would miss, but she misses the most important clue of all. When that information is uncovered, Mila has to decide whom she should trust.
This book sounds a lot more thrilling than it actually is. The story isn't bad, although Mila, being British, notices and reacts to American culture differently than an American teenager would. The story is fairly slow paced in spite of the mystery involved, and I didn't feel like it was resolved at the end. My biggest question was never answered: Why did anyone involve Mila in this whole mess in the first place?
Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: none
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars
This book sounds a lot more thrilling than it actually is. The story isn't bad, although Mila, being British, notices and reacts to American culture differently than an American teenager would. The story is fairly slow paced in spite of the mystery involved, and I didn't feel like it was resolved at the end. My biggest question was never answered: Why did anyone involve Mila in this whole mess in the first place?
Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: none
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars
April 29, 2018
"Me pregunto en qué momento un niño se convierte en un adulto. ¿Pasa de repente o es más bien poco a poco, como por etapas? ¿Hay una edad, una semana, un momento, en el que se revelan todos los secretos del universo y la madurez desciende del cielo en una nube cambiando el cerebro para siempre? ¿Se escabullirá un día la niña que hay en mí para no volver jamás?"
No sé qué esperaba de esta historia, pero ciertamente nada de lo que leí. Se le notan los premios encima, y se nota lo que quiere enseñar y transmitir. Es bastante serio.
Lo elegí no sólo por la cantidad de páginas, sino porque hace rato que lo tenía en la mira y ¿por qué no darle una oportunidad? Gustó, pero sólo eso. Por mucho que me haya querido mover la cabeza, creo que no lo logró del todo, aún no estoy muy segura de cuál es el público al que apunta.
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