Izzy Willy Nilly by Cynthia Voight
YA Novel On Teenage Crisis and Recovery
Voight is an American author of YA novels that cover the gamut of subjects:
- Fantasy
- Mystery
- Racism
- Child abuse and more.
She has been the recipient of the Newbury Award as well as various other honors.
One of Voight's strengths with this novel is her exceptional character development. The characters aren't idealized or unnatural, they are down to earth and realistic.
Izzy, the Protagonist
Izzy, the protagonist, is a multifaceted character. She is an average, everyday 15-year-old high school student until one night her date has too much to drink and she is forced to ride home with him. The couple suffer a sever car accident and, as a result, Izzy loses one of her legs.
Izzy's life changes, she is no longer a peppy popular cheerleader. She is a broken spirited young woman with many obstacles to overcome. From the depths of her depression, Izzy is forced to find a new voice and make a new path for herself in the world.
After the accident, she suffers a split personality and each side of her persona is equally developed. There is post-accident Izzy which exists in the real world and idealized "little" Izzy that exists only in Izzy's head. Neither side suffers in the believability sector because Voight takes painstaking care to ensure that Izzy is well-rounded.
Rosamunde, the New Girl
Izzy's old friends seem to have little time for her after the accident, in fact, many of them do not even visit her in the hospital. They are too busy being a pretty regime of the social elite. Upon returning to school, Izzy befreinds Rosamunde, the new girl. Rosamunde is not well liked by Izzy's old crowd because she is unattractive and blunt.
Though, Rosamunde is the only thing standing between Izzy and complete ruin. It takes Rosamunde's strong character and blunt personality to show Izzy that all has not been lost.
Izzy Triumphs Over DisasterRosamunde helps save Izzy's life and Izzy in some ways helps to save Rosamunde's. They need one another to exist and the novel would not be complete without both characters. They embody a strong spirit that most young people tend to look over.
This is a winning novel worth reading, especially since it portrays heartfelt realistic lives of young adults facing tragedies and how to fight severe depression on the path to recovery. No one will walk away from this novel without thinking twice about drinking and driving. It is important to cover these topics, especially in YA novels because it educates future generations on the dos and donts of life in general.
Izzy Willy Nilly is faithful to Voight's style of writing and does not let readers down in that capacity. This is the sort of novel that inspires people, it's also the sort of novel that readers don't want to finish because they want to watch the characters grow up. Voight is truly talented and very voice sparkles in this story, but every good novel must come to an end.
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Izzy Willy Nilly
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