Erin S. (nantuckerin) reviewed on 1/29/2010 + 158 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 10

I'm a huge Simon and Garfunkle fan, so when I skimmed the book jacket of Impossible and learned the story was built around the ballad "Scarborough Fair" (one of my favorites), I was hooked.

However, I had no idea what a wonderful read I was in for. In Impossible, Nancy Werlin has created a modern fairy tale and love story that is impossible to put down. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) Honestly, I haven't been as wowwed, as entralled or as sucked into a romance since the first time I read Twilight.

Seventeen-year-old Lucy Scarborough is a grounded, hard-working kid that has a good life. She has an almost-boyfriend named Gray that she really likes. She has wonderful, supportive foster parents. Her childhood best friend and former neighbor, Zach, is home from college and staying with her family for the summer. The only dark spot is Lucy's biological mother Miranda -- insane, homeless and suddenly following Lucy wherever she goes, and singing a version of the old folk song Scarborough Fair that is unique to their family.

Lucy's ordered life is soon turned upside down by a family curse that has claimed the infant daughters -- and the sanity -- of all Scarborough women for hundreds of years. To break the curse and save herself and her bloodline, Lucy must complete three impossible tasks outlined in the words of the song. But is her family really cursed by some mythical threat? Or is Lucy really fighting heredity and a history of teenage onset mental illness that is generations long?

I have nothing but praise for every element of Impossible. The characters were well developed, and I was completely invested in their plight. The story was original and inventive -- I was stumped trying to solve the riddles posed by the song, and enjoyed Werlin's masterfully researched and imagined solutions.

I would recommend this book to anyone, with one caveat: there is some sensitive subject matter that may make the book more appropriate for readers over 14 or so. Werlin does not exploit the more mature elements of the book, they are fairly brief and tastefully handled, and they are only included out of necessity to advance the plot of the book.

This truly is a must read if you enjoyed Twilight, which many adult and teen readers (like me) loved. And even if sparkly vampires aren't your thing, don't let that stop you from giving Impossible a try. Its female central character is very strong and independant, the love story is healthy and balanced and the book overall is full of imagination, legend and hope.

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