Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy #1)
Lauren DeStefano
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Releases: March 22, 2011
Amazon
What if you knew exactly when you would die?Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.
When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden’s genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.
But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden’s eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.
Wither is a sheep in wolf’s clothing. The title, the cover, and the synopsis all suggest a story of imposing, untold horrors and I believe that is what the author tried to convey, but too many plot holes were hastily covered with content that lacked conviction.
Due to a malfunction in genetic engineering, sixteen year old Rhine lives in a world where the young die decades before their time; males at twenty-five and females at twenty. This virus affects all expect for the first generation; those few that science perfected by creating embryos free of flaws or diseases, resulting in a stronger, healthier population.
But the price of perfection carried a grave after effect for the children of the first generation that now age gracefully. They are left to watch helplessly while their children die young. But those with wealth are desperate to find a cure for their dying offspring, by any means necessary. Even if it means collecting child brides to bear babies for further genetic study, as in Rhine’s case.
I was pleased to see that the logistics of Rhine’s world were explained early on. Some elements didn’t seem entirely plausible, but I didn’t feel lost.
My main problem was with the context of the story itself. I didn’t feel that the author took Rhine’s tale where it really needed to go to make it more compelling and believable.
Rhine is kidnapped and married off with two other young girls to House Governor Linden. After struggling to survive, she is brought to a mansion and catered on hand and foot. In order to gain more freedom to move about the mansion and attend lavish parties in the city, Rhine determines she must be as agreeable as possible to become First Wife among her sister wives. And she is delighted when her husband begins to favor her.
But here is the problem with what DeStefano did, or rather didn’t do. Rhine was brought to the Linden for a very specific purpose, to be a wife and to bear children. Yet she lives with him for almost a year and never has to consummate the marriage? What?
While there are many mentions of sex, Rhine never actually has to experience it. Why is she spared? How is that fair? Why does the author have a 13 year old bearing a child while Rhine, the First Wife, remains untouched?
DeStefano writes it off as the younger bride being eager to have sex to please her husband. She writes the husband off as a shy, mild-mannered man who knew nothing of the kidnapping and would never force himself on Rhine. But it still made no sense that Rhine would be granted all the privileges while her sister wives are bedded.
Throughout the story, as Rhine adapts to her new surrounds, she is constantly going on about what she will allow. “I allow Linden to kiss me; I allow him to lie next to me.” How the heck does she have all this power to allow what she will? Yet, even unbothered by the duties of a wife, Rhine is desperate to escape? Why? And to what? Destitute? Or perhaps only to be kidnapped again by a new man who will not be so kind?
Yes, she has a twin brother she wants to reunite with, but couldn’t she just demand that Linden bring Rowan (her twin) back to her, that way he could live in extravagance too? The whole situation was just poorly executed.
None of the characters were particularly memorable and I was never able to develop a good image of what they looked like. Linden’s father, Housemaster Vaughn, was made to be the evil villain of the story, and he was creepy, but most of his sinister character was concealed in the basement where he conducts his experiments to research a cure. Gabriel, the house servant that Rhine barely notices until she decides to kiss him, was completely forgettable, and in the end she risks his life and uses him shamelessly to escape.
I know people will love Wither. I know in the coming months, as I see reviews for it, I will also see 5 star ratings. I wish I could be among them, but DeStefano didn’t convince me that Wither was worthy of such a rating. I also wish DeStefano was brave enough to take the story where it needed to go to make it more convincing. Frankly, I’m disappointed because the premise is good and I expected a lot more, but maybe it was too much to take on.
I can’t imagine the story continuing on for two more books. Really? What I can predict is that Rhine will be spared yet again. She will hold the secret cure to end the virus in her mismatched eyes and miraculously be saved. That is, if she allows it.
Challenge(s): 111 in ‘11 Challenge, Debut Author Challenge
Posted at 6:52 pm • Labels: 2011, 3 stars, ARC, Book it Forward, Book Review, DAC, debut, Dystopian Fiction, review copy, YA
Wow…your review is so different from the others I've seen, but I appreciate your honesty. I'll definitely read this because of my penchant for dystopian novels, but I loved your review!
Reply
I also appreciate honesty in a review. The premise of this book does look interesting, but with your detailed review I might push reading this one back until it's available in paperback. Thanks for a great review.
Reply
I'm sad that you didn't enjoy as much as I did. Although I do see your point. Some of the things in the book were messed up. Thanks for your honesty.
Reply
Interesting. I have this one on my tbr. Kinda sounds like the Handmaiden's Tale for YA. I'm guessing she was afraid to go the sex route due to the media being what it is today. That is only a wild guess. Thanks for the great review. It will give me something to think about when I read it.
Reply
Reminds me of an updated Handmaid's Tale. Which I didn't really dig. Great review though. You really helped me see it through your eyes
Reply
Great review, thanks for the honesty. I will have to check this out to see what I think.
Reply
A good, honest review. I'll take these at face value, and see for myself the opinion I hold of the book. It does sound unbelievable though!
Reply
Thanks for your honest review as I am reading this soon, at least I know what to expect. I think the same things that bothered you are going to bother me
And I like your prediction at the end. I say you will be spot on
Reply
This comment has been removed by the author.
Reply
All I can say is THANK GOSH you thought what I did. This is the first review that I have read that was similar to mine. I didn't love Wither one bit. I really didn't have high expectations either. There were so many issues for me. I'll save them for my page (they go onnnnnn), but I would love to know where the subtitle, The Chemical Garden Trilogy, comes to play? So lost!
Jen
Reply
I'm about halfway through this one and I'm feeling exactly the same way about it!
Reply
Like others have said, I also appreciate the honest review. But I did cringe a bit when you wrote, “I also wish DeStefano was brave enough to take the story where it needed to go to make it more convincing.” I don't think you meant it quite as harshly as it sounds, but I thought I'd mention it anyhow. As for the book itself, it's one that I'll probably read in the distant future once all the reviews have washed away from my mind.
Reply
Thanks for the review, Missie! It's good to look at different viewpoints about a book.You do bring out some valid points.
Reply
No! I think you just broke my heart a little! Lol. I haven't read this one yet, but it was on my personal list of most-looking-forward to in 2011. I have a copy for review, so I'll be reading it eventually. Thanks for your honest opinion, though. Maybe I'll like it better if I don't have as high of expectations? Lol.
Reply
Okay, I skimmed your review because I didn't want to be spoiled, but major bummer! I agree, the premise and cover of this one are what got me so excited to read it in the first place. As for the plot holes… sometimes I'm able to overlook a few if the writing and plot are good enough but most of the time, that bugs the heck out of me! I'm worried now. But really, thanks for the review. It was nice to see your point of view.
Reply
Hi everyone!
Thanks so much for commenting.
I'm sorry if I sounded a bit harsh in my review. I should have just said that while the book wasn't for me, I'm sure it will work for others and I'm totally okay with that.
Looking forward to comparing thoughts, book lovers.
Reply
Awwwww bummer! It's too bad this one didn't work for you, I have such high hopes for it! I skimmed your review since I haven't read yet, but I'll definitely be back to read more thoroughly once I've finished this one. I'm sure you made some fantastic points as you usually do though:)
Reply
That's part of what's tricky about writing dystopian worlds in particular: they really need to be unrelenting in maintaining the logic of the fictional universe. In a world where nearly everyone dies at either 20 or 25, I can't see a premium being placed on individual choice, either. (Of course, I would have also done bizarre population models and attempted to figure out just how long such a situation would be sustainable, but meh! lol.)
Reply
I'm very picky when it comes to dystopians, and I was wary about this one. Your complaints sound like things that would really irritate me, so I'm very glad I read your review.
I'm also really getting irritated with dystopians that are stretched to trilogies when their plots really can't carry that many books. Thank you very much for your honest review!
Reply
Great honest review!
Dystopian is a hard genre to cover because it is kids in adult situations.
Reply
It sounds like I will have similar issues with this book, which is a major bummer since I am really looking forward to reading it.
I actually had a dilemma on a WIP of mine where this lecherous guy was after my teen protagonist. I didn't think I could get away with having him NOT come after her sexually, but didn't know how to address it for teen readers. Maybe we underestimate what they are capable of handling.
Great post, Missie.
Reply
This looks so promising too….I'll still read it, just because I'm a sucker for dystopian novels! : D
Great review!
Reply
This looks so promising too….I'll still read it, just because I'm a sucker for dystopian novels! : D
Great review!
Reply
“I know people will love Wither. I know in the coming months, as I see reviews for it, I will also see 5 star ratings. I wish I could be among them, but DeStefano didn't convince me that Wither was worthy of such a rating.”
Isn't that just a booger! The same thing happened to me. I read a book that people have been hyping about forever and that I was really excited to read and I think it was terrible. And then I look around at all of the other reviews out there and it seems like I am one of the only ones who think that! Ugh…
Thanks for the honest review though! I was going to go out and buy this book, instead I think I will just check it out from the library.
:/
Reply
I've been seeing so many amazing reviews of this book. I'm glad that you have pointed out another side. Not that it is a bad side. Just refreshing!
Black Disaster Fairy
A World of Personality
Reply
Oh, wow, great honest review! You know what I love most about your reviews Missie? When your honest about something, you back it up. You give us the reasons and you always give us something to think about. You never discourage reading the book, but you give us an informative overview about the plus's and minus's.
It looks like a couple of other people said this already, but I was thinking the same thing, that this sounded like a futuristic version of the Handmaiden's Tale! It does sound interesting, but I can definitely see your concerns — I would have them too.
Reply
I also wondered why she didnt have Linden bring her brother to her. I thought a lot of the same things as you. I think this story has a lot of potential. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought there was something missing.
Reply
Great review. Sounds like an interesting book. But there are holes in the plot. Thank you!
Reply
I have this book on my review list. I've been looking forward to reading this but bummed out by review. However, I'm glad for your honesty! I've been staying away from reviews on Wither because I didn't want to read any spoilers. I tried to skip around but was interested in what you had to say. I'm looking forward to reading it to so see if I have the same feelings. Great review!
Reply
I'm about to start this one so I think I'll come back to your review when I'm done
Reply
Well I'm one of those people giving it 5 stars…
I understand the issues you had with it, but I felt like the author's explanations made sense. She was told that she was brought there, not to be a child-bearing wife, but to comfort Lindin after his wife's death. She was only there to make him happy. His mild-manners are the only reason she was able to put off a more physical relationship. The other wives invited the relationship and wanted to have sex with him. Even Jenna admits to enjoying it while still hating him.
I also understood why she wanted to escape. She felt that freedom was better than luxury. I think it seems like it would be easier and better to just stay and enjoy the few years she has left, but I would probably want to escape as well.
I'm extremely curious as to where the story can go from here. Will we go back to the mansion to save Cecily and the baby? Will she find a cure? Is her hetereochromia a sign that she is resistant?
I'm really sorry you didn't love this one as much as I did!!
Reply
OK- I finally made it to your review of Wither…:D
I see many of your points, I wondered a few times how Rhine got out of the “sex” with Linden while the other girls were mattress dancing. You read my review so you know that I liked it overall, I had hard time mostly with the child-bride thing and the glamorization of polygamy. I tried to put myself in this mind-frame and wonder what it would take to come to a point where I could share my husband…nothing came to me…although way back when, there were cultures that married off their daughters at 13, 14 yrs old, it was still icky to think about that 13 year old all excited about sex.
Reply
This comment has been removed by the author.
Reply
[...] the midst of being caught between two rather dry reads (no pun intended Wither and Drought), I decided I needed something a little more enticing. So that is why I was glad to [...]
[...] Completely Awesome Premise Award Wither by Lauren [...]