January 8th, 2009
Book Review: Drop, by Lisa Papademetriou
If you’ve seen the movie 21, or read the book on which is was based, Drop, a young adult novel by Lisa Papademetriou, may seem a bit derivative. Or at least familiar. This is because it shares a core theme: young people making a killing gambling in Vegas, and trying not to get caught.
But the theme is really the only thing the two stories have in common, for while 21 is based in a team effort to apply mathematical formulae in order to count cards, Drop is more about the personal paths of the three lead characters, all of whom are students at a suburban Las Vegas high school.
Sanjay is an Indian-American, struggling with his parents cultural differences, wanting to fit in with the rich kids at school, and resenting being tied to the family business, a convenience grocery store. Kat is dealing with a mother who is in prison for hit-and-run driving, a younger sister who needs stability, and the growing knowledge that their life is better without Mom around (they live with an aunt). Jerrica is the person who ties the other two, together. In therapy to cope with the death of her mother, years before, she is adjusting to her father and his new wife’s latest news: they’re pregnant.
Jerrica is the mathematical genius of the story as well, except in her case, the cards appear to her as visions, and she begins to believe she can control them. She wants to prove she has a skill, while Sanjay and Kat really need money for their own purposes. Combined, the three take on the casinos all around them.
At times the story seems too short - we sense there’s a connection between Kat and Jerrica’s stories but it’s never explicit, and there’s a bit of a love triangle with Sanjay at the focal point, but again, there’s not much expansion.
Still, if you or your older teenager wants a good story that isn’t a particularly long read (240 pages), Drop is an excellent choice.
Note: This review was based on an Advanced Reader’s Copy of the novel. The book was released on November 13th, 2008, by Alfred A. Knopf.
