English review Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Prosím buďte milosrdní pri hodnotení kvality mojej recenzie najmä z jazykovej stránky. Dalo mi to zabrať. Rovnako ako prečítanie samotnej knihy plnej skratiek a vymysleného slangu z roku 2035. Pokiaľ však máte radi výzvy, knihu jednoznačne odporúčam.

It’s really hard for me to review this book. Why? Because it was so weird that I even don’t know if I liked it. But I liked it. Didn’t I?

If you are confused right now, it’s nothing in comparison to me.

Welcome in year 2035, where the whole population is infected by virus and only teenagers are able to procreate. Young people, especially girls are sought as the only chance for older couples to have babies.

Melody and Harmony are twin sisters. At birth, they were both given away and raised by different families.

Melody is raised to become a professional surrogate in Otherside – the relatively normal part of the town. She was the first who signed contract for delivering a baby in her school. Since then more girls went professional – that means they got paid for their deliveries.

Harmony has lived her whole life in Goodside – the religious community, where everybody “has God”. She has to marry and have babies, and she cannot leave the Goodside.

But what happens when Harmony flees to meet with her twin sister Melody?

I have to admit, I don’t even know, if I got everything right in this book. It was really hard for me to understand everything, because English isn’t my native language. Megan uses unique abbreviations and self-invented words, which are hard to comprehend. But on the other side these words are what makes Bumped so extraordinary.

Melody and Harmony take turns by telling us the story. I love them both. Their characters were funny and I really appreciate their character development during the book. At the beginning of the story they seem confident with their fate, which they didn’t choose, but instead it was chosen for them. But as the story unfolds, we can see girls’ inner struggle with what they really want and what is expected from them to want.

Other characters were just so lovable as the twins. My favorite character was Melody’s best friend Zen, the good boy, who would do everything for her, of course because he’s secretly in love with her all the time.

And I cannot forget the character of the famous inseminator Jondoe, who has made a lot of babies in his short career. With the status of a rock star he’s the most beloved man in the US, with whom every girl wants to get bumped. But he has one little secret too – Jondoe has a God. (or hasn’t he?)

Megan created a dystopia such different from all the others. I have to admit, I understand why this book has ranked so low. It isn’t really book for masses – it is morally incorrect, teenage have sex and sell babies and use of a condom is illegal. But that exactly made me love this book.

Bumped is more satire and parody on dystopian novels than a serious book, but I find it very refreshing and really funny.

I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperTeen for providing me with an early copy of this amazing book.