Book #124: Matched

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie

I probably should have spent today grading research papers (they're the albatross around my neck right now) but instead I read Matched because Ally Condie is COMING TO MY CLASS TOMORROW! While I love my MFA program for a lot of reasons, I think one of the coolest things about it is that I've gotten the chance to meet and listen to so many authors this season. And Ally Condie's Matched is the most highly-anticipated, most hyped YA novel of the year, so having her come to class only two days after the novel's release feels like quite a coup.

Having said that, does the book live up to the hype?

The story is a dystopian romance in which seventeen-year-old Cassia is matched with Xander, the boy next door, but before their first date, she finds out that she's actually also matched with Ky. Xander represents safety and status quo. Ky represents taking chances. Cassia loves them both, and ultimately has to choose what kind of life she'd rather live. I'd say that Matched does what it sets out to do, and does it well. It's the kind of book I can see working well as a film, but it's also well written. I loved the way that Condie worked poetry throughout the novel. I look forward to reading the next book, and to hearing what Condie has to say about the experience of writing the novel when she speaks in class tomorrow.