Memortality

This creative yet clumsy contemporary fantasy opens with a fascinating scenario, but bogs it down with stock characters and predictable intrigue. A Los Angeles car accident left six-year-old Minerva Rus paralyzed from the waist down and killed her eight-year-old best friend, Raven. Fifteen years later, Raven returns to Minerva, apparently alive and all grown up. Minerva soon learns she is one of the gifted few who can bring people back to life—to an extent—through memories. This gift makes her a target of a secret government agency, and she and Raven are soon caught up in their dangerous machinations. Short chapters make the suspenseful plot speed along but also give it a choppy feel. Characters’ motivations and backgrounds are often unclear—in particular, not much thought appears to have been given to what Minerva’s life has been like in the 15 years since the accident, except that she’s become bitter and isolated. Provost’s debut novel shows promise but will frustrate readers seeking a deeper connection. (Feb.)