Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

The first novel I read this year was Shift by Jennifer Bradbury. To briefly summarize the book, two high school graduates, Chris and Win, set out on a cross-country bike trip the summer before college. During the trip, Win disappears without a trace while Chris finishes the trek and returns home, assuming his friend came back. When Chris finds out Win did not return, he tries to solve the complex puzzle and find Win.

Let's start with what I liked about the book. I liked how the author switched from the present (after Chris returns home) to the past (during the bike trip). This element of flashback was used very effectively. It allowed me as the reader to try and figure out the mystery without easily giving it away. This format also gave great depth to the characters. Seeing their past allowed me to see how they reacted to certain situations as well as their personality. The author did an excellent job developing the two main characters and making them easy to relate too.

Now, for the negative aspects of the book. To be honest, this novel captured my attention to where I read for almost 2 hours straight! Although I had an idea of what the outcome was, I was still held in suspense for most of the book. I was thoroughly enjoying this mystery. Then, I read the ending. And it was horrible! I don't think it even deserves the title of an ending. It dissappointed me so much, I could only think about how I wanted the time I spent reading the book back. I will try to explain my dissapointment as best as I can. Basically, this story built itself up to end with a major conflict. Someone would have to make a choice and somebody would be hurt by it. The author wrote the plot in a way where a sad ending was inevitable. And then, she wimped out. It was like the author played an entire football game, only to forfeit when it went to overtime, the hardest part of the game. Basically, the antagonists all of a sudden became "nice" and all the conflict just seemed to disappear. Any conflicts that just could not be left out were left to the imagination of the reader. There was absolutely no real closure to the book. I don't know what led the author to believe she had a good ending, but it definitely fooled her into ruining a potentially good book.

I thought the characters, especially the two main ones, were portrayed as a regular human being with their faults and successes. They are easy to relate to as well. The author goes into detail about how they were raised by their parents and how their personality developed. There are many points to where the average reader can say, "I've been through that".

Both main characters were definitely dynamic in their growth during the book. However, Chris is the one that stuck out to me the most as changing. At the beginning of the story, he is reliant on his parents for lots of things. He isn't an independent thinker. As the book goes on, though, Win starts to bring him out of the box a little. Chris soon lets Win's wild lifestyle affect him and he starts to become more independent. Finally, going on the bike trip shows Chris he can rely on himself. When Win disappears, Chris' newfound independence is put to the test as he sets out to find him alone.