Uninvited by Amanda Marrone
Author's First Young Adult Book Provides Insight into Teen Culture
Using the vampire as a medium, Marrone explores a girl's relationship with herself, her peers, and her ex-boyfriend.
Of all the ways her boyfriend could’ve come back to haunt her, an undead vampire was probably the worst. That’s the problem that Jordan faces in Amanda Marrone’s Uninvited (ISBN: 978-1-4169-3978-8 Simon Pulse, October 2007).
Since his funeral, Jordan’s ex-boyfriend Michael has sat outside of her window every night, begging her to let him in. It’s now three months later and Jordan’s resolve is wearing thin. She can’t sleep and she’s starting to think maybe opening the window isn’t such a bad idea. The problem is Michael is dead, and Jordan doesn’t know if letting him in would be the answer to her prayers or the end of her.
Marrone uses the vampire as a thinly veiled medium to explore relationships gone wrong. Although Jordan’s alcohol and drug abuse is a little hard to picture, she represents hundreds of girls who face similar issues in real life: drug and alcohol abuse, stalking, and social isolation.
Jordan’s Issues
The reader quickly learns that Jordan has touches of social anxiety. She’s a self-described nothing, and panics when walking to her locker alone. She uses drinking and smoking, which could’ve began recreationally, as a form of self-medication. She doesn’t know how to speak to her mother, who is never around, and she is afraid to confide in her friends because she’s not sure how deep the friendship goes. She considers herself lucky to have any friends at all.
Still, Jordan needs a dose of self confidence in order to face her problems. Her issues are not just about Michael showing up at her window every night, but her feelings about him. Until now Jordan has avoided taking time to think about herself and what she really wants.
But Michael changes that. His nightly appearances, which were meant to intimidate, force her to find herself. She turns to be stronger than he thinks. She learns not only to trust the people that love her, but to demand the respect she needs and deserves. In the end, Jordan goes from trying to occupy as little space as possible to growing more comfortable in herself.
Michael’s Vampirism
Michael is a quintessential relationship bully. Physically attractive and on top of the social hierarchy, he’s used to always getting his way. Now dead, he comes back to haunt Jordan for dumping him while he was alive. Labeling a vampire allows readers to identify his type, men who are “monsters” just like him. In fact, the reader can simply ignore the vampire label completely. The label is just a courtesy, for there is very little about Michael’s behaviors that can be considered supernatural. Michael is simply another guy that is not used to hearing the word “no”.
About the Author
Although Marrone could’ve taken this story much further, it gives insight to high school culture. There are many girls like Jordan, who fall into situations because they have little guidance or self empowerment, or they just go with the flow. At 204 pages, Uninvited is a very easy read, and a preferable alternative to reruns or reality TV.
Uninvited is Marrone’s first book, which also has a sneak preview to her second book, Revealers, in its pages, which is scheduled to be published in September, 2008.
