REVIEW: Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon

Title: Strangelets
Author: Michelle Gagnon
Publisher: Soho Press
Publication Date: April 9, 2013
Format: egalley* 288 pages
Rating: 4/5
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17-year-old Sophie lies on her deathbed in California, awaiting the inevitable loss of her battle with cancer…
17-year-old Declan stares down two armed thugs in a back alley in Galway, Ireland…
17-year-old Anat attempts to traverse a booby-trapped tunnel between Israel and Egypt…

All three strangers should have died at the exact same moment, thousands of miles apart. Instead, they awaken together in an abandoned hospital—only to discover that they’re not alone. Three other teens from different places on the globe are trapped with them. Somebody or something seems to be pulling the strings. With their individual clocks ticking, they must band together if they’re to have any hope of surviving.

Soon they discover that they've been trapped in a future that isn't of their making: a deadly, desolate world at once entirely familiar and utterly strange. Each teen harbors a secret, but only one holds the key that could get them home. As the truth comes to light through the eyes of Sophie, Declan, and Anat, the reader is taken on a dark and unforgettable journey into the hearts of teens who must decide what to do with a second chance at life.

My Review

Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon was definitely a strange and creepy read. It wasn’t exactly the most thrilling, but it certainly invoked much curiosity and wonder. It’s very hard to describe exactly what type of book this was, but I loved all the elements that Gagnon twisted into it. 

It’s very rare for me to read let alone enjoy a book that has three point of views going at once, but I thought Gagnon did an incredible job with this. Each character had an outstanding voice that was powerful and thorough throughout the book. Sophie, who was on the verge of dying from lymphoma, but was a quiet yet resilient character. She was kind, caring, and thoughtful. She seemed like the weakest out of all of them, but it was clear that Sophie was strong, rational, and able to make quick and last minute decisions where it mattered most. Declan was my favorite out of all three because he was just clever and a very funny character. He was very capable, resourceful, and could think on his feet. He was nice, smart, and knew how to survive. He definitely gave the book a light touch. Last, but not least we have Anat. She was the ultimate fighting survivor who never gave up. She was a little harsh, tough, and not really approachable, but the girl had guts. She was probably the bravest of them all and was able to stand on her own no matter what. All three of these characters were so different, coming from different countries but they managed to band together and make a ragtag, sometimes dysfunctionally cooperating team. 

Gagnon did a great job of describing the world with the destroyed buildings, piled up cars, the immense amount of trees and wildlife and even the gross creatures that lurked around. All of this was described in great detail. What I really loved most about this book was Gagnon’s ability to weave in the elements of time travel, science, and the power of a father’s love into an apocalyptic setting. She really gave that eerie, keep-checking your-back-someone-is-watching kind of suspense. While I was reading, I didn’t know what was necessarily going on just like how Sophie, Declan and Anat must have felt. It wasn’t until near the end where everything comes to light and I thought that Gagnon did that brilliantly. This allowed me to keep guessing and form my own theories along the way. Even though the ending didn’t answer all the questions I had, I liked that a lot because the alternate reality theory made complete sense no matter what. I would have liked for a little more explanation, but the openness of it all gave me the chance to form my own conclusions. There was some excellent plot twists here and there that had me at the edge of my seat and definitely gave me the despair and excitement I was looking for.


Overall Strangelets was a book full of unknown and so much possibilities. It’s the type of book that makes your imagination run wild while giving you the chance to fall in love with these crazy teens literally stuck in the wrong place. 

*Thanks to Soho Press for sending a copy for review