Vande Valde, Vivian. (2007). Remembering Raquel. New York: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-2059796-7. p. 137
Genre: Fiction
Interest Age: 12+
Curriculum: NA
Reader’s Annotation
How would you be remembered? This is the question now faced by the friends and family of recently departed Raquel Falcone.
Plot Summary
Remembering Raquel tells the story of the aftermath of the sudden death of 14 year old Raquel Falcone. The story is told through a series of recollections by people who “knew” Raquel, including family, friends, and classmates, people who witnessed her death, and even Raquel herself.
Raquel was an intelligent but shy and overweight teen who, before her death, was more or less invisible at Quail Run High. In the wake of her death, there is an outpouring of support and emotion from not only those few people who were actually close to her but also from casual acquaintances, distant family members, and crusaders who had never met her. Through their recollections and experiences the reader begins to get an impression of not only the real Raquel, but of the Raquel people remember.
Remembering Raquel shows how death can affect peoples’ feelings and perceptions of those who died. Whether it be the girl who sat behind her in homeroom, the boy who was never able to ask her to the dance, an online admirer, her father, or even the strangers who were next to her when she died, everyone had perceptions of Raquel and everyone will remember her in a different way.
Critical Review
Author Vivian Vande Valde was inspired to write Remembering Raquel after seeing roadside memorials which her set up after someone died. The premise is a complex one which deals with numerous issues and themes such as death, the loss of a loved one, different perceptions of those who died, issues of identity and fitting in during adolescence, and how seemingly “invisible” people can have an effect on those around them even if neither were aware of it. Remembering Raquel hit on all of these themes at some point yet never fully mines these themes. As a look at death and remembering it ends up only being half a success.
Complex relationships are only hinted at and not fully explored. Case in point, Raquel’s family. The book explains that Raquel’s mom died of cancer and that she was living with her dad. The relationships with her mom and dad are looked at but only briefly. The reader does not get a complete picture of Raquel’s home/family life and therefore never really feels deeply connected to Raquel or her father. The same goes with her best friend Hayley. We get three chapters from Hayley’s point of view yet the reader is given only a brief back-story. Instead Vande Valde focuses on the feelings of “what if I had been there?”. To be sure, this is an important aspect of losing a friend, but since the reader has not become attached to the character, only a minimal amount of sympathy is created. Too often are character’s recollections filled with seemingly peripheral details and only minimal focus on Raquel. This might very well be Vande Valde’s point: For most people, Raquel existed in the background. But for purposes of building a connection with the reader, there needed to be more back story on these characters and more introspection on the part of even the peripheral characters.
There are several poignant moments throughout the novel that show how people perceive others and how death affects different people, but ultimately this feels like half a book. Vande Valde does a good job introducing us to these characters but seems to move on just as I want to know and understand them on a deeper level.
Author Info
Vivian Vande Valde is an award winning author of over 30 books for teens. She writes primarily in the horror and dark fantasy genres but her works generally include an element of humor and fun as well. Born in 1951, she currently resides in Rochester, NY. Her first book, A Hidden Magic, is a fairy tale inspired by Disney movies like Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty.
Vande Valde’s books have been honored by the American Library Association (ALA) Best Books for Young Adults, ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, and ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Her novel Never Trust a Dead Man, won the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery of 2000. Vande Valde offers author appearances and workshops for both students and teachers through her website: http://vivianvandevelde.com/index.cfm.
Book Talking Ideas
1. What are some of the different perceptions characters in the book had of Raquel? How accurate were those perceptions compared to Raquel’s perceptions of herself?
2. How do people’s perceptions and memories of people change after that person dies?
Challenges
The book deals with the death of a young girl, although not in any sort of graphic or violent way. Nothing controversial is covered, i.e. sex, drugs, etc. Although the writing style is appropriate for 12+, the themes are probably more appropriate for 13 or 14+.
Why I choose this title
This is one of Vivian Vande Valde’s view works outside of the horror/fantasy genre in which she normally writes. I was intrigued by the premise, since dealing with death at a young age can be a difficult and complex process.
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