Fade - Robert Cormier Book Review

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"Fade"
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Review Summaries

"At the age of 13, in the summer of 1938, Paul Moreaux discovers he can "fade" -- that is, cause himself and his clothing to disappear from the sight of others at will. He lives in the small Massachusetts town of Monument, in the working-class Canadian Catholic quarter known as Frenchtown. At first, he is thrilled with the things he can do -- spy on his beloved but loose Aunt Rosanna, and the wealthy twins across town, Emerson and Page Winslow -- but there are larger problems swirling about him: The comb factory where his father is employed goes on strike, and Rosanna's lover Rudolphe Toubert is a brutal hoodlum who controls much of the criminal activity in town. Paul also learns that his "gift" brings him knowledge about others and himself that he wishes he never had. Fade has two narrators. The first-person account by Paul turns out to be an unpublished manuscript discovered in 1988 by Susan Roget, the granddaughter of Paul's cousin Jules. Susan is working for Meredith Martin, the literary agent who represented Paul after he became a successful writer, until his death in 1967. Together with Meredith and her grandfather Jules, a retired police detective, Susan is driven to figure out whether this last book of Paul's (which includes at least one murder in its plot) is one last novel, or a memoir/confession."
David Loftus, Resident Robert Cormier Scholar

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Overall Review

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30%

Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Coming of age Yes
Youngster becomes - an adult (general)
Mental/magical powers focus Yes
magical powers: - invisibility (scifi)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14)

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - student
Age: - a teen
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - Invisibility
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - small businessman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Earth setting: - 20th century
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing
How much dialogue? - significantly more descript than dialog

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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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