A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell (review by Bella Aire)

Summary (provided by Amazon):
Cora Bradley dreams of escape. Ever since her reckless older brother, Nate, died in a car crash, Cora has felt suffocated by her small town and high school. She seeks solace in drawing beautiful maps, envisioning herself in exotic locales. When Cora begins to fall for Damian, the handsome, brooding boy who was in the car with Nate the night he died, she uncovers her brother's secret artistic life and realizes she had more in common with him than she ever imagined. With stunning lyricism, Sandell weaves a tale of one girl's journey through the redemptive powers of art, friendship, and love.

They say no land remains to be discovered, no continent is left unexplored. But the whole world is out there, waiting, just waiting for me. I want to do things-I want to walk the rain-soaked streets of London, and drink mint tea in Casablanca. I want to wander the wastelands of the Gobi desert and see a yak. I think my life's ambition is to see a yak. I want to bargain for trinkets in an Arab market in some distant, dusty land. There's so much. But, most of all, I want to do things that will mean something.

-- From A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD.

NSCG Review:

Full of lyrical phasing, vivid memories, and honest feeling, A Map of the Known World is a beautifully written YA novel. Readers will be moved by the story of Cora dealing with the loss of her older brother, Nate. Her attempts to understand her brother and the rift that had grown between them before his death shows her struggle. Cora no longer seems to fit in the world she used to live in, and instead of turning to her old friends or family, she makes a connection with the most unlikely--or perhaps most likely--of people.

Damian, Nate’s rebellious best friend, survived the crash that Nate did not. Cora and Damian’s relationship does not start smooth due to the fact that Cora, following in her parents’ footsteps, blames Damian for being a “bad influence”. However, soon the two form an unusual bond through art. But will memories of Nate tear the bond apart…or make it stronger?

The strongest part of the novel is Cora’s recollections of her brother. Lisa Ann Sandell really deserves some praise for making them incredibly touching and heartfelt and just…beautiful. The only real problem I had with this novel was with the angry scenes. For some reason, the writing became stilted during shouting matches, etc. However, this didn’t prove a large enough hitch to distract from the novel’s focus.

Did I like it better than Song of the Sparrow (a favorite of mine and one of Sandell’s earlier works)? I can’t say for certain. It would be like comparing apples and oranges. World is very different from Sparrow in writing style, mood, and many other ways. The one constant seems to be Sandell’s lyricism. Both were wonderful, so I’d suggest reading both.

-Bella Aire

A Map of the Known World can be purchased here.

Visit the author at her website.

Lisa Ann Sandell is also a Geek Fest author! Check out her guest blog for the event here.