Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Bumped  
by Megan McCafferty 
Published: April 2011

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

In 2036 New Jersey, when teens are expected to become fanatically religious wives and mothers or high-priced surrogates for couples made infertile by a widespread virus, 16-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony find in one another the courage to believe they have choices.

Review:

I wasn't sure what to really expect going in to this one. I'm on a current dystopian high, and have loved pretty much all of the dystopians I've read lately. So, when I initially decided to read this I was excited, then I started reading reviews of other reviewers on Goodreads who I usually agree with, and they weren't the best.


Well, I went ahead and read it, and I'm glad. It wasn't the best book I've red this year, or even over the last few years, but I do think it took on a different angle of the dystopian genre. So many of which involve a war, and government oppression, where youth are disposable and looked down on. McCafferty sets up a world where teens have power, although they possibly don't even realize it. She uses the growing obsession with media and fame to demonstrate the huge impact both have on youth and how it effects what we as a society value. 

The contrast between Melody and Harmony was done nicely and despite an obvious lean towards showing how oppressive Harmony's life has been, there is a balance. Harmony's ideology focuses on the value of life, not just the giving of birth but also how you use your life to better that of others. Melody's is portrayed as self-indulgent and  materialistic but with more freedom than Harmony's. Both girls come to realize that neither world is perfect. The alternating points of view build this wonderfully and keeps either girl from becoming too annoying. 


The ending was a bit unexpected although not entirely surprising. It will lead nicely into the sequel, yet even if this were the end of the girls' story I'd feel satisfied. They both learned something about themselves and what they see for their future, even if it might not be perfect.