Clarity, Kim Harrington's debut novel, offers readers age fourteen and up a quick and entertaining read. Coined a paranormal mystery, the book offers mystery fans and paranormal enthusiasts alike an engaging heroine in sixteen year old Clarity "Clare" Fern.
Synopsis of Kim Harrington’s Clarity, a Teen Paranormal Mystery
Clare lives in Cape Cod with her elder brother and mother. She devours donuts, walks along the beach, and pines for her ex, gorgeous Justin the mayor’s son. Yet Clare is anything but normal. She experiences visions of the past when she touches an object. Like the rest of her family, Clare is psychic.
Despite the town’s scorn, Clare, her mother, and brother Perry share their combined psychic gifts to entertain tourists and make a modest living. The murder of a tourist, Victoria, forces Clare into a love-triangle with her ex Justin and the homicide detective's son, Gabriel. Clare desperately tries to use her psychic powers as more dead bodies appear, her brother becomes a suspect, and her own life is threatened.
As Clare struggles to understand both her psychic gifts and her heart, she learns that even psychics don't know everything. The explosive ending leaves the reader in shock that, after all the twists and turns, the mystery is solved without tragedy to the cast of characters who already feel like friends.
Book Review of Clarity by Kim Harrington
Clarity's character is spunky, fun, and honest. Her open descriptions of her psychic gift and the frustrations that come along with it connect her to even the least psychic of readers. The insights of Clare's mother, who can read minds, and her brother, who talks to the dead, give the reader a glimpse of Clarity's normal, a world where extrasensory perceptions are as ordinary as her morning donuts.
Several times, Harrington's use of "teen" and other vocabulary seem out of character for the teenage Clare. The character development is sketchy in places, with the reader wondering again who is who in the rapidly accelerating series of events. Yet the plot is action packed and charged, the story ends with a terrifying but ultimately happy ending, and the stage is set for another adventure involving Clare and her friends. Grade: B- to B.
About Kim Harrington
Kim Harrington is a Massachusetts author, wife, and mother. Harrington's website reveals her whimsical side. She doesn't share her degrees and credentials but her favorite food (pizza), color (purple) and TV show (Lost). Her second novel, Clarity's sequel entitled Perception, is due out in 2012.
Source:
- Clarity by Kim Harrington. Point, an imprint of Scholastic, Incorporated. USA, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-545-23050-6
Melissa Roberts - A trained hospital chaplain, Melissa is a freelance writer, teacher, retreat leader, and spiritual director.
