Customer Reviews

The Orpheus Obsession

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

 

 

a lot happened when i picked up this book

one: the characters moved into my head. this is good.
i'm still listening to them because they know things that i don't

two: now i can figure out the guy in my world.
so he's a rock star? maybe yes maybe no.

three: DAMN --Dakota got that right! i kept saying that through the whole book.
especially when she says exactly how a smell smells. is that possible? amazingly, yes.

four: now i humbly see life as the amusement park ride it really is. even the crap.
i will not change back. never.

five: Dakota's books make me want to write. actually she makes me HAVE TO WRITE.
it all started with Johnny Voodoo
which you must read if you didn't yet.

IN CONCLUSION:

if your life goes from THE PIT to TOTAL MAGIC one or more times
in 24 hours then you will love this book.
it will make you feel normal.

if your life is boring then you will love this book
because it is fun.

if you love song lyrics then you will love this book.
read it and find out. do that. i mean it.

This is a wonderful young adult novel by an author who has not forgotten what is is like to be a young adult obsessed with a famous personality (her Orpheus is a rock star) and yet understands too what it is to be a grown-up. So the book is lively and wise. Lane is a very good writer and I recommend this book for every school, library, and teenage reader.

Must take issue with another review posted here: why do people think that their friends who are authors should GIVE them complimentary copies of books? Does your grocery store give you free groceries because you live nearby? This is how your neighbor earns a living! Honor that and buy her book if you can afford it. If you can't, remind your library to buy several copies and check one of them out and read it.

I bought Orpheus and Johnny Voodoo together and jumped right into Orpheus, eager to see if my friend's recommendation was spot on, and found myself unable to pull free until the ride came to an end. So what is it about Dakota's writing that lures you in and keeps you hooked? Simple, it's her beautiful prose, whimsical descriptions, acutely accurate voice and exceptional characters. There are few books out there that can transport you from the sofa in your drafty living room and drop you into the middle of New York City on a sweltering summer day and fill you with the scents and colors and vibrations of that experience. But Ms. Lane does just that. Her mastery of language, her analogies and vivid descriptions are so stirring and so evocative they hold you captive, unwilling or unable to release you until every word is consumed. Dakota Lane even made me fall in love with a tiny parakeet named Zach, which is no small feat as I'm not a big fan of the noisy little creatures.

This story is about Nu (Anooshka) Star, a sixteen year old girl from upstate New York, who develops an obsessive fixation on Orpheus, a local rocker from NYC. Thankfully, Nu's older sister, ZZ Moon, has a pad in the city which allows for a relationship between Nu and Orpheus to blossom after an unexpected and unplanned run in with the rocker at a photo shoot. Only this isn't the relationship Nu has envisioned and what the readers sees and feels is not quite what Nu is experiencing, at least not in the beginning. We follow Nu on this wacky and sometimes traumatic ride to its obvious and painful conclusion all the while screaming at her to wake up and smell the coffee. But Nu is sweetly oblivious and her view of herself and the world around her is seen through stilted eyes making it impossible to become frustrated with her. So we're stuck watching her make heart-wrenching mistakes all the while baring her soul to someone not worthy of the depth of love she is willing to give.

Ms. Lane has created a beautiful cast of characters in Orpheus. They are all flawed, but not overdone, and are thoughtfully constructed. Nu is perfectly drawn, sharp and smart but blinded by impossible hope and a desperate need to be seen and loved. She's strong yet vulnerable and fraught with internal conflict and longstanding pain. She's the type of character so many author's try to created and fail to capture accurately. I simply loved her and found myself wishing she were real so that I could hug her and remind her that it gets better from here. In understanding her history the reader is forced to understand her present, not that it makes it any less painful, because it doesn't, instead it allows one to walk in her shoes, see and feel the hope she harbors and understand the blinders she so willingly bears. There is enough balance between the traumas of the past and present and the ever-present spark of hope that one can't help but root for Nu to get what she wants, even though we understand the outcome is preordained.

The supporting cast of characters are as wonderful as Nu. ZZ Moon is wise yet fractured, but a wonderfully supportive sister and truly Nu's best friend. Raphael and Agnes add a level of much needed sanity in Nu's world and their importance in her life is evident by the absolute depth of their understanding and devotion. Nu's mother is equal parts insensitive and lost and I find myself torn between anger and pity when thinking of her. Orpheus is a character you love to hate and hate to love. As much as I want to simply call him a butt-head I just couldn't. Certainly his intentions were clear, if not to Nu than to the reader, but there was an underlying melancholy about him that made him human. Perhaps I was reading a little too into it, or perhaps I was having a Nu moment myself, but in Orpheus' online journal entries I saw someone raw and injured too. But since the story was more focused on Nu and not Orpheus, we'll never really know, but I'd like to think I'm right, otherwise he was just a tool.

The use of photographs throughout the novel is pure brilliance and made these characters and scenes living, breathing things. These candids and destination shots are sprinkled in at appropriate and pivotal times and make the story come alive. In addition, the use of Orpheus' lyrics are poignant and only help to tell the story. Key sentiments are expressed in his own words, even before he steps foot on the page, and help to drive the narration, giving the reader necessary insight into Nu's absolute fascination/obsession. As I noted above, I have to believe there was more to Orpheus than the jerk personification. The carefully crafted lyrics Ms. Lane penned in many respects echoed Nu's own thoughts and feelings, hence the obsession. Since we're offered a direct and unobstructed window into Nu's own psyche, it only makes sense that Orpheus, at least on some level, must suffer some of the same self-doubt and perhaps a touch of self-loathing. Needless to say, the parallels are made clear and it only serves to make one more curious and open-minded where Orpheus is concerned.

I have one minor complaint, the ending. It seemed a little rushed and fell a bit flat for me. But that is such a minor complaint when looking at the piece as a whole and one I am inclined to ignore as the balance of the story was so wonderful. More than anything I wish Ms. Lane took the ending a bit farther, fleshing out the new Nu and bringing it to a more solid conclusion. Not that it's ambiguous in any way, it simply lacks the umph I was hoping for.

In essence, this is undoubtedly a book I will read again and am certain to cherish it as much, if not more, the next time around.

Anooshka Star has a miserable home life. Her mom is always depressed and Anooshka never knows what to expect from one day to the next. Her father has gone off to live in India. Anooshka had the choice of going with him but felt the right thing to do was stay in the States with her mom. Her only chance of reprieve is a short bus trip to visit her sister, Zoetrope Zallulah Moon (aka ZZ Moon) on occasion.

It is during one such trip during the summer that the two sisters find themselves at a lush maze in Brighton Beach. There, Anooshka stumbles across a photo shoot. Peeking through the hedges, ZZ Moon suddenly panics. She tries to pull away, but Anooshka will have nothing to do with that. ZZ Moon nervously tells Anooshka that it's none other than Orpheus, the musician that she listens to constantly. Anooshka walks over to him and gets the nerve to ask for his autograph; for her sister, of course. But once she's met Orpheus herself, she's smitten.

Back at home, after dealing with her mom's latest drama, she logs onto the Internet and starts reading all of Orpheus's web blog. Anooshka starts to notice a connection with Orpheus. His thoughts online mirror many of her own. In her reading, she learns the fact that Orpheus is part owner in a NYC restaurant, Constellation. She calls her sister up and the two of them plan on an outing there the following Sunday.

Much to their delight, they encounter Orpheus at Constellation, and he talks to them. He even goes so far as to offer the two of them passes to his show later. Of course they are thrilled. From this point on, Anooshka's obsession is solidified, and all she can concentrate on is Orpheus.

Throughout the course of the summer, Anooshka goes to many lengths to be where Orpheus is. When he showers even a little bit of attention on her, it pulls her even deeper into her obsession.

Dakota Lane writes a dark novel of how a chance meeting can begin the stirrings of an obsession. Anooshka made her first contact with Orpheus for her sister's sake, but soon, the tide is turned and Anooshka can't get enough. Cold reality sets in, and the reader can see how Anooshka tries to get a grip back on her life, though it's never easy. Ms. Lane makes the reader realize that an obsession is a hard habit to break.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Anooshka Stargirl is obsessed. Her friends even think she has gone crazy. After meeting Orpheus by chance at one of her old favorite spots, Anooshka can't stop thinking about him. He has invaded her thoughts, and she has trouble pushing him away. She starts reading his online blog, and she feels that a special force is pulling them together, at least that's what she thinks. The farther she gets into the obsession the more she casts out her family and friends. She doesn't want to hear what they have to say about Orpheus, because she can't believe them. She shows up several times when she knows he will be certain places, and they end up spending a magical evening together. Anooshka knows that she is head over heals in love with him. But does he feel the same?

I thought this book had the possibility of being really good. It just kind of fizzled out for me in the end. Anooshka is likeable, but it's her mother and sister, ZZ Moon, that were more interesting to me. Anooshka just seemed like she wanted someone or anyone to love her, especially in the absence of her father. I love Dakota Lane's voice though. Her style is different from other YA writers out there, because it has a kind of a gritty/urban flare to it. This was a decent read for all the YA readers out there.

I thought Orpheus Obsession was a good idea for a story, but from the very beginning I was distracted by how much the author seems to try and immitate Francesca Lia Block. If you liked this book you'll definately love the Weetzie Bat series.

The author is my neighbor, and though I haven't read the book yet (apparently no complimentary copy for neighbors... :-) ), I did just get an email from her with the book's new web site, so I'm passing it along to fans and potential fans.

http://orpheusobsession.com/