The Unhappening of Genesis Lee

by Shallee McArthur

Overview

Seventeen-year-old Genesis Lee has never forgotten anything. As one of the Mementi—a small group of genetically enhanced humans—Gena remembers everything with the help of her Link bracelets, which preserve them perfectly. But Links can be stolen, and six people have already lost their lives to a memory thief, including Gena’s best friend.

Anyone could be next. That’s why Gena is less than pleased to meet a strange but charming boy named Kalan who claims not only that they have met before, but also that Gena knows who the thief is.

The problem is that Gena doesn’t remember Kalan, she doesn’t remember seeing the thief, and she doesn’t know why she’s forgetting things—or how much else she might forget. As growing tensions between Mementi and ordinary humans drive the city of Havendale into chaos, Gena and Kalan team up to search for the thief. And as Gena loses more memories, they realize they have to solve the mystery fast…because Gena’s life is unhappening around her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510715370
Publisher:	Sky Pony
Publication date:	08/22/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Shallee McArthur has a degree in English from Brigham Young University. When she's not writing young-adult science fiction and fantasy, she's attempting to raise her son and daughters as proper sci-fi and fantasy geeks. A little part of her heart is devoted to Africa after volunteering twice in Ghana. This is her first book. McArthur lives in southern Utah with her husband and three children.

Editorial Reviews

"For anyone fascinated with thoughts of omniscience and total social connection—and who isn't?—McArthur's debut suggests fascinating and chilling possibilities." —Kirkus Reviews

"Equal parts dark and delightful, McArthur's stunning debut takes an awesome science fiction premise and follows it deep into the maze of the human mind. I loved it so much I was jealous." —Dan Wells, author the Partials series

"A thrilling read from beginning to end, this stunning debut had me wishing I could record my memories to keep them safe! I was desperate to discover the thief while at the same time hoping the story would never end." —Elana Johnson, author of the Posession trilogy

"For anyone fascinated with thoughts of omniscience and total social connection—and who isn't?—McArthur's debut suggests fascinating and chilling possibilities." —Kirkus Reviews

"Equal parts dark and delightful, McArthur's stunning debut takes an awesome science fiction premise and follows it deep into the maze of the human mind. I loved it so much I was jealous." —Dan Wells, author the Partials series

"A thrilling read from beginning to end, this stunning debut had me wishing I could record my memories to keep them safe! I was desperate to discover the thief while at the same time hoping the story would never end." —Elana Johnson, author of the Posession trilogy

From the Publisher

2014-10-06
Montagues and Capulets, Sharks and Jets; now it's the Mementi (with their genetically modified, storable memories) and the Populace. At 17, Mementi Genesis Lee and friend Cora are out on the town, their primary worry escaping parental notice and keeping their memory-filled Link beads covered just enough for safety. Someone (suspicion falls on the Populace) has been stealing the Mementi's prized objects and with them, entire lives: Without memory, "your mind would be empty, grasping at a past you no longer had." Meanwhile, rival Mementi/Populace companies research memory options; large protests and the growing number of Populace in the Mementi's designer city further increase community tension. And now Kalan, the "nice" Populace boy Gena keeps forgetting to remember, holds important information—can she trust him? For readers hooked on earbuds and constant social networking, the storyline should be intriguing, the ambiguities and plot twists reasonable. But it's the sensitive handling of emotional details and the trauma of too much connection that make this a story of interest. The reactions to memory losses are painful and poignant; "I'm broken," laments a Mementi. "I'll never be the person I was going to be without those memories." Well-selected Tennyson quotations set the mood for each chapter. For anyone fascinated with thoughts of omniscience and total social connection—and who isn't?—McArthur's debut suggests fascinating and chilling possibilities. (Science fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews