Liviania’s review of (Re)cycler by Lauren McLaughlin
Young adult released by Random House 26 Aug 09

I read Cycler because I enjoy novels that tackle gender issues, but I found it disappointing.  But when Sybs asked me to review (Re)cycler, my basic reaction was, “Why not?”  I’m glad I did that, because this is one sequel that is far better than its predecessor.  I recommend skipping Cycler and going straight to (Re)cycler.  It might be a little confusing, but Lauren McLaughlin does a fine job of summarizing what came before.

First improvement?  Jack gets something to do.  He’s no longer stuck in a room with nothing to do but read porn.  Instead, he’s trying to find friends despite the fact he’s never been socialized.  He did get secondhand experience from Jill, and quickly finds himself reacting to situations like a girl rather than a teenage guy.  While struggling with his masculinity, his relationship with Ramie becomes more strained as she follows her own interests and dreams.  (And I think Ramie may have some interest in Jill that causes frustration.)

As for Jill, she’s been separated from her boyfriend and finds herself in control of her body for shorter and shorter periods of time.  It’s a nice reflection of the way she’s trying to take control of her body by losing her virginity.  It’s a prickly topic that I don’t want to get into in a book review, but McLaughlin does a very good job of showing how girls are supposed to be good and supposed to put out and how it becomes more complicated when you’re taught your first time should be special but also that you shouldn’t make a big deal of it because then you’re letting the patriarchy win.

And here’s another advantage of both Jack and Jill being out: wacky hijinks.  (I’m surprised that no one thinks Jack/Jill is a crossdresser.)  The change between the two has become a lot more fluid, which leads to a lot of awkward situations, including Jack getting stuck naked in an alley.  It’s often ridiculous, but it falls on the side of funny rather than stupid.

(Re)cycler is a great examination of what it means to be in your late teens and deciding who you are.  Jack wants to be a man’s man, but he’s doesn’t really know what that means and is uncomfortable with the fact he’s subconsciously gendered female.  Jill wants to be feminine, with a proper romance and everything, but worries that she can never be a real girl since she does share a body with a guy.  I like that both of them are somewhat scared of Jack’s relationship with Jill’s boyfriend, Tommy.  (I do miss Tommy being on the scene, though there are several interesting new characters on the scene.)

I hope there’s a third book in the series.  I feel there are enough ends left open to justify it, even if (Re)cycler‘s conclusion is much more solid than Cycler‘s.  McLaughlin has matured her characters into people I’d like to spend more time with, in addition to improving her presentation of ideas.

Grade: B+

Summary:
How do you grow up, if who you are keeps changing?

Jill McTeague is not your average high school graduate, she’s a scientific anomaly. Every month for four days she turns into Jack, a guy—complete with all the parts. Now everyone in her hometown knows that something very weird is up with her. So what’s a girl (and a guy) to do? Get the heck out of town, that’s what! With her kooky best friend, Ramie, Jill sets out for New York City. There both she and Jack will have to figure out everything from the usual (relationships) to the not so usual (career options for a “cycler,” anyone?).

As in Cycler, the first book featuring Jack and Jill, author Lauren McLaughlin deftly weaves the downright mundane with the outright bizarre in a story that, while defying classification, is peopled with characters that readers can fully relate to.
Read an excerpt here.

Liviania’s review of Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin
Young adult released by Random House 26 Aug 08

Lauren McLaughlin’s debut ambitiously approaches the concept of gender with a main character who cycles between female and male. It sounded somewhat weird but still cool to me, so I decided to give it a shot. In a double dose of unfairness, immediately after Jill becomes female again she gets to deal with her period, cramps and all. Jack only replaces PMS.

Unfortunately for McLaughlin, the issue I found more interesting in the book is not addressed at all. Cycler involves child abuse. The parents lock Jack in, becoming more and more oppressive. Instead of helping Jill come to terms with her unique biology, they teach her to hypnotize herself and forget everything she does as a boy. Without their actions Jack might not have even developed a separately personality; he could still be Jill in a male body.

That’s not to say McLaughlin shies away from interesting issues. Jill’s crush, Tommy, comes out as a bisexual to her, which does nothing to help her resolve her confusion regarding her gender identity. Jack falls for Jill’s best friend Ramie and his emotions sometimes bleed over. Of course, I wanted even more from these that I got in Cycler.

Jill and Jack’s pursuit of separate lives leads up to a big mess at prom, as must happen in any book set in the senior year of high school. (Really, nothing that exciting happened at my junior or senior prom, unless you consider people dancing to rap pulse-pounding action.) Then the book ends shortly after. The note at the back says a sequel is in progress but I still want falling action. What if Ramie or Tommy is attracted to both Jack and Jill? Do Jack and Jill have any idea how they live after the events leading up to and during prom? The end didn’t feel resolved to me. It felt like things were about to be resolved and then BOOM. No more pages.

Overall Cycler didn’t quite live up to my excitement. It was funny and I liked the characters, but I kept feeling like it had potential for more. I really hope there will be a sequel because I desperately want to see the consequences of the climax. Despite there not being a cliffhanger I feel like I was left hanging.

I feel I should also mention that while Jack and Ramie’s relationship is a little creepy (though there’s a revelation at the end that changed things a lot for me except I didn’t get to see how it affected the characters), Jill and Tommy’s is really cute. Jill uses an old-fashioned self-help book from her mom to try to get his attention. Not the best idea. Even with her cycle, Jill’s still a typical YA girl.

Grade: C+

Summary:
AS FAR AS anyone at her high school knows, Jill McTeague is an average smart girl trying to get her dream date to ask her to the prom.

What no one knows, except for Jill’s mom and dad, is that for the four days Jill is out of school each month, she is not Jill at all. She is Jack, a genuine boy—complete with all the parts. Jack lives his four days per month in the solitude of Jill’s room. But his personality has been building since the cycling began. He is less and less content with his confinement and his cycles are becoming more frequent. Now Jill’s question about the prom isn’t who she’ll go with, but who she’ll be when the big night arrives.
Read an excerpt here

This is a new YA novel hitting the shelves at the end of the month. I was somewhat surprised at the plot… is it just me or is this pretty original? What you think of it?

Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin

AS FAR AS anyone at her high school knows, Jill McTeague is an average smart girl trying to get her dream date to ask her to the prom.

What no one knows, except for Jill’s mom and dad, is that for the four days Jill is out of school each month, she is not Jill at all. She is Jack, a genuine boy—complete with all the parts. Jack lives his four days per month in the solitude of Jill’s room. But his personality has been building since the cycling began. He is less and less content with his confinement and his cycles are becoming more frequent. Now Jill’s question about the prom isn’t who she’ll go with, but who she’ll be when the big night arrives.