Book Review: Chopsticks, A Novel by Jessica Anthony & Rodrigo Corral

By: Jessica Anthony & Rodrigo Corral

Published by: Razorbill

To Be Released on: February 2rd, 2012

Source: ARC from publisher to review

4 stars: I Really Enjoyed

Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Book Website: Chopsticks Novel

Glory is a young piano prodigy. Frank is the boy who moves in next door. Over the years, their friendship blossoms into an undeniable romance. As Glory descends from stunning piano prodigy into a kind of madness, Frank's love becomes more and more unshakable. They both become hopelessly fixated on the song "Chopsticks".

Part love story, part mystery, part visual collage, this novel is told through images as much as it's told through words. Ultimately the reader must decipher what is real, what is imagined, and what has been madness all along. Richly imagined by author Jessica Anthony and hauntingly designed by Rodrigo Corral, Chopsticks will rivet teens and adults alike on numerous platforms, including a gorgeous book and paid app for the iPhone and iPad, with many additional features - quoted from Goodreads

This is an elegant blend of romance, mystery and madness, that made for a raw, emotional, heartbreaking read that I couldn't put down. Talk about a visually stunning book. I was really blown away with how captivating this story is. It's so unique in the way it's told which is through little words and a lot of pictures, as it follows the story of Glory, a young teenage piano prodigy. Through the course of Glory's story readers are given a glimpse into her life, her heartbreak, her struggles, her breaking point and her romance.

Mixed into Glory's story is her main love interest Francisco, who's love for her only seems to intensify the more Glory's story unravels. Honestly, it's one of those romances that I felt came across a little intense at times, but as the story continues to unfold I began to wonder what parts of it were real, that is until I got to the end. I won't give anything away, but I will say that ending sure leaves me wanting to learn more. I really liked getting to see the interaction between the two of them via texts, letters, and such.

Chopsticks is one of those books that really held my attention from the get go. It became like a puzzle for me as the more I tried to distinguish what was real, what was a figment of Glory's imagination and what, if anything about this story was "normal" from the beginning, the more addicting the story became. At times I felt like I was being let in on a secret and other times I felt helpless in witnessing what Glory was going through based on the pictures, images and articles within the pages of this book. This is definitely a truly unique book, and it's one that still has me thinking about it.