Invisibility by Andrea Cremer (review)

New York City is supposed to offer a fresh start for sixteen-year-old Elizabeth and her family, who are fleeing the small-town life that got Elizabeth’s younger brother, Laurie, severely beaten for being gay. Stephen, also sixteen, happens to live in their new building, but no one knows it—since birth, Stephen has been invisible due to a curse put upon him by his own grandfather. Elizabeth, however, can see Stephen, and the two fall into a relationship after just a few days. However, this isn’t a fairy tale that’s resolved by true love’s kiss: Elizabeth’s connection with Stephen draws both her and Laurie deeper into a world of cursecasters and spellseekers until a confrontation with Stephen’s grandfather leaves Elizabeth close to death. The dialogue requires as much suspension of disbelief as the invisibility element—these teens inhabit the world of John Green and Gilmore Girls, firing off pop culture reference and preternaturally wise statements of philosophy in a moment’s notice. The characters are also so effortlessly likable, though, that their precocity is mostly endearing. The authors bypass the conventional obstacles to Elizabeth and Stephen’s inevitable romance and instead focus on the development of their relationship as the circumstances around them change. The curse and the invisibility add tension to their plight, but these teens are dealing with the issues any relationship encounters: the ebb and flow of intimacies, their insecurities and doubt, the realization that love is not simply a feeling but a sustained effort with no guarantees. Stephen and Elizabeth alternate narration, but Laurie is perhaps the most compelling one here, rising above the happy-go lucky gay sidekick to become a complex and essential part of the story. The fairy-tale circumstances tempered by real-world emotions will hold major appeal for teens looking for both drama and a mostly happy ending.