Customer Reviews

Kindred

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Eighteen-year-old Miriam has grown up surrounded by spiritual concerns. Her parents, both theology professors, often engage their children in discussions and debates about religion and God. And with a mother who is a former nun and a father who is a Jewish rabbi, Miriam has a complex understanding of belief, even if she wouldn't necessarily call herself a believer.

That all changes, however, when the archangel Raphael crashes into her dorm room. The terrifying presence speaks a command to her in ancient Hebrew and then disappears. When Miriam, justifiably troubled by the vision, translates his words, she realizes she has a mission to carry out, but she's reluctant...or maybe just skeptical. But when a horrific event proves both the accuracy of Raphael's prophecy and the inadequacies of Miriam's actions, she grows wary. What is God's plan for her? Does He have more expectations for her future actions? And will He punish her for failing to carry them through as He had hoped?

Meanwhile, Miriam --- who is so shaken by her encounter with the angel that she drops out of school and takes a job at a small newspaper in rural Tennessee --- learns that her twin brother Moses also has had his own encounter with spiritual forces. In Mo's case, however, the power is not godly but demonic, and Mo has been chosen to carry out the devil's own work on earth. Is it possible that these twin siblings, formerly so close to one another, are now just pawns in some kind of cosmic spiritual war?

To say that KINDRED is an unusual YA book would be a huge understatement. Angels in young adult literature are not particularly new, but the terrifying, vaguely vindictive angels of Tammar Stein's novel certainly are. These are the kinds of angels with whom the biblical Jacob wrestled, and Miriam wrestles, too, as she continually struggles with questions of faith and doubt, and the search for God's plan for her life.

These are heady concerns, of course, but another of the book's unusual aspects is that these spiritual and theological concerns are grounded in the earthiest way possible. Miriam befriends local farmers through her work at the newspaper, she starts dating the small town's only tattoo artist, and, most vividly (possibly disturbingly, to some readers), she grapples with some very distressing, deeply humbling physical ailments of her own. The detailed descriptions of Miriam's digestive problems might be enough to turn off some readers, but as Miriam (who views this bodily degradation, at times, as the angels' revenge) herself notes, "This is the worst part, the ugliest part, of a human body to break down. The contrast between my writhing, sweaty form and the perfect and cold celestial beauty of the angels couldn't be greater or clearer. I am nothing but mud."

Miriam's humility and disappointment --- sometimes bordering on self-hatred --- as she fails to follow through on the angels' commands may lead some to wonder whether the angels themselves (not to mention Mo's demons) are real or merely products of Miriam's troubled mind. Are they actual characters, or metaphors for spiritual struggles and truths? KINDRED is probably not a novel for everyone, but it will speak to readers who like their fiction to raise provocative questions rather than provide easy answers, who wouldn't mind doing a little wrestling of their own with angels.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

After finishing the book, I realized that it felt VERY unfinished. I figured maybe it was setting up a sequel but didn't find any information on that. The premise is great. Twins approached by heaven and hell with different tasks. The problem is that though we only hear the twin brother's (Mo, short for Moses) takes on what the devil wants him to do, it always sounds more interesting especially since Miriam (no nickname) has only one direct encounter followed by visions and dreams that she THINKS might mean something. She also believes she develops chronic illness based on how she follows through on a task. Given all this, Miriam's part is less about Good Vs. Evil than how Miriam and her family feel about religion (Mom's a former nun who converted to Judaism and then went back to Catholicism after the divorce, Dad is referred to as a learned rabbi). The one task that put the twins in conflict didn't involve little conflict at all?

So why three stars? It wasn't painful to read. In fact, I think it held a lot of promise if it had been 200 pages longer and the tasks for the twins had been more direct and led to some action, both good and bad, for the people they were meant to help or hurt depending on the twin. It's a very thoughtful book. The heroine spends a lot of time in her head but not enough time figuring out what her true task is until the very end and by then, you turn the page and it's "THE END."

Out of the Ordinary
Ms. Stein has created a fascinating and unusual novel. The interaction of the supernatural (visits from angels) and the mundane are skillfully interwoven as the heroine examines life, responsibility and suffering. Don't miss it!

Susan Frost

Why I read this: Looked like an interesting read and I've yet to really fall in love with a book involving angels.

Plot: A good versus evil plot that finally has our lead falling for someone of her own species. I have to say the beginning of the book made me realize this wasn't going to be your average paranormal book (finally!). When Miriam receives a visit from the angel the first time, it's painful and the holy power of God literally makes her pee her pants. No joke. Finally, someone who has captured the real power of angels and how their presence really is stunning.

I like the way that we learn about Miriam. With little pieces here and there and really seeing her interact with the world around her. She does find a romantic interest and I love the real way they interact with each other. It's not all love at first sight and instant kisses. There's dates, there's getting to know each other a little bit at a time and there's not instant commitment to die for one another.

But back to the plot, Miriam becomes torn between her mission and the fact that her twin may be on the other side. She's only human and tries her best to accomplish her mission in the ways that she can. Miriam is not wonder woman, she can't magically fix things, but she uses what she has to accomplish the task.

There were parts in this book that made me cry, I'll be honest, especially towards the end. There's a ton of emotion in what is going on throughout the novel and it truly is a realistic way of threading the good vs. evil battle into the human world.

Characters: I really loved Miriam. She's realistic, comes from a home that reminds me of my own in ways, and just overall really had a cheerful spirit when all was well. I love her connection to Emmett, the tattoo artist, and seeing them grow closer throughout the book.

Her twin Mo has more charisma, but you can tell he's not as good as Miriam. He's a little too happy-go-lucky about helping out the devil when she finds out. Their relationship becomes strained during the novel. It's hard not to love your sibling and you can see that strain between them and what their missions are forcing them to do. Ultimately it comes down to this battle of emotions and the outcome changes what happens slightly, but not enough. I'm hoping to see more of these two in a sequel.

Relatability: I think anyone who had an upbringing in the church will relate to this, along with those who have siblings that were once close to and then drifted apart. Definitely a lot to relate to in this novel.

Cover Commentary: I'm not sure I like it. You never really get close to the angels, so it's interesting that the cover would look like that. I like the colors though.

This book wasn't what I expected but I think that was mostly due to the summary. I felt the book was more about Miriam's individual journey than the summary shows. At first it was a little difficult for me to discover what was going on but I soon got into the flow of the story. Miriam is visited by an angel, Raphael, and she finds out that she is supposed to help others. The first task is difficult because she is unsure of what to do or how to save the girl. She wants to help but Raphael didn't give a lot of guidance.

After the task is over, and the girl ends up injured, Miriam feels she didn't do the job as she should have. She feels like a failure. This brings her to think more about religion and the way the world works. This book has a lot of religious references. Miriam spends quite a bit of time talking to others about their idea of God and spirituality.

Then, after finding out that her twin brother Mo was visited by "evil" she worries even more. In order to get away from the feelings she moves to Tennessee and works for a newspaper. This brings good and bad into her life. On one hand she meets a great guy, Emmett. He works at a tattoo parlor and he is sweet and kind to Miriam. This turns out to be something she needs desperately because she is suffering inside. She has terrible symptoms and pain that no one can seem to diagnosis. She starts to feel that this is all a punishment from God for failing her earlier mission. She becomes even more determined to succeed at her next task in order to be cured of her illness.

After getting into the story and away from my expectations of the book from the summary, I was able to get into Miriam's story. It did jump around a little at first but by the middle of the story I was curious to see what would happen to Miriam and her faith. As I mentioned, this book is strongly based on religious references and thoughts which does make this a very unique, YA story. I truly felt I got a nice grasp of Miriam as a character and I highly enjoyed reading about Emmett. Kindred was a fascinating book that shows how a young girl can begin to question faith when she is surrounded by chaos.

"But I know that He gives much more than He takes. You just have to pay attention."
I thoroughly enjoyed this smart and engaging read. Stein's first-person, present tense story of self-discovery unsuspectingly grabs a hold of you with a thrilling meeting between Stein's narrator, Miriam, and the terrifying Biblical angel, Raphael. While navigating adulthood, the 18 year old Miriam faces a mysterious illness, the excitement of working as a journalist for a local paper, her relationship with her twin brother, a possible romantic relationship, and celestial assignments. With memorable and detailed characters you cannot help but think about for days after finishing the book, and a charming setting that makes you want to get in the car to go visit, Stein has me wanting more.