Madeline would be your run of the mill, everyday teenager except for one huge exception; she's allergic to the outside world. She hasn't been outside of her house in years, and her nurses Clara is always by her side to make sure she stays safe and stays alive. The only other human contact Madeline gets is with her mother, a doctor herself. Madeline knows she has to stay inside, and has mostly been okay with her sheltered life since it keeps her alive and all. She still longs for the outside world though, to feel the grass under her toes and to hear the waves crash in the ocean.
Soon a new family moves in next door, and Madeline can't help buy spy on the only new thing in her life for the past several years. She begins to notice there's a boy her age, who she comes to learn his name is Olly, who doesn't have the best life. His dad is constantly yelling at him, abusive, and Olly frequently escapes to the roof of his house, spending hours up there where Madeline can't quite see from her bedroom window. Madeline starts getting more and more rebellious, as she falls for Olly who actually wants to seem to get to know her. She wants to meet him, but she knows its against all the rules and could kill her. After enough begging to her best friend nurse Clara, she relents and lets Olly come visit behind her mother's back.
Madeline feels electric and has fluttery butterflies whenever she's near Olly; she's falling in love. She continues to be more and more rebellious, until her mom find out that she's been sneaking about with Clara's help and fires Clara.
This is where the story gets interesting, awkward, and disappointing.
You see, Madeline's mom is the one who's sick, not Clara. Clara isn't actually allergic to the outside, something she discovers when she runs away to Hawaii with Olly. Her mom has convinced both herself and Madeline that she's allergic in order to protect her daughter. She's sick, and needs help. Madeline also needs help now. She has Olly by her side, but her immune system is so weak she's susceptible to anything because she's never been exposed to anything. So know what Madeline's line has effectively been ruined by her mother and she has to start over entirely, what comes next?
My bottom line: 3 star, well-written, deceptive in a bad way and left me upset and wanting more.
P.S. My intense physiology class is over and more regular posts should be in order!
