Pretending to Be Ericaby Michelle Painchaud
We Were Liars meets Heist Society in a riveting debut!
Seventeen-year-old Violet’s entire life has revolved around one thing: becoming Erica Silverman, an heiress kidnapped at age five and never seen again.
Violet’s father, the best con man in Las Vegas, has a plan, chilling in its very specific precision. Violet shares a blood type with Erica; soon, thanks to surgery and blackmail, she has the same face, body, and DNA. She knows every detail of the Silvermans’ lives, as well as the PTSD she will have to fake around them. And then, when the time is right, she “reappears”—Erica Silverman, brought home by some kind of miracle.
But she is also Violet, and she has a job: Stay long enough to steal the Silverman Painting, an Old Master legendary in the Vegas crime world. Walking a razor’s edge, calculating every decision, not sure sometimes who she is or what she is doing it for, Violet is an unforgettable heroine, and Pretending to be Erica is a killer debut.
It feels like I’ve been waiting for this book FOREVER, so I’m super excited to review this one. What’s more, I really love those heist/con artist novels, don’t ask me why, but yep, this genre is my jam. The premise of this book is so interesting and exciting. Identity theft, impersonation, and grand art heist CHECK CHECK AND CHECK. After finishing the book, I’m glad the author delivered and met my high expectations.
Violet, our heroine, is brought up by her con artist foster father for one purpose, become Erica Silverman, the kidnapped rich little girl who’s still missing/dead. After plastic surgery, DNA tests, and some “miraculous revelation and escape,” Violet reappears as the missing Erica, whom Mrs. Silverman embraces with her whole desperate heart. If she pulls off this impersonation, she would live in the Silverman mansion and enjoy the luxury of Erica’s life. What’s more, she would get close enough to steal Silverman painting, a legend among thieves and con men. Violet fully prepared by her father to know every detail of Erica’s life, the ability to lie convincingly, and other skills a con artist should possess. What she isn’t prepared for is how warmly Mrs. Silverman accepts her and how she is making friends--real ones that she never got to have.
Violet/Erica is a very developed character, because we can see her struggle first with self-identity and later loyalty. By inserting herself into Erica’s shoes, Violet feels like her real self is disappearing and ceasing to exist. She spends her entire life trying to convincingly be someone else, which seems to me is a thousand times worse than having a perfect older sibling to live up to. I’m surprised at how quickly she turned from a professional con artist into an angsty teenager eager to rebel against her father. Why does she have so many inner monologues about pitying Erica and sorry sorry sorry blah blah blah...? I was promised a con woman with a jaded conscience but received a weepy, softhearted teenager. Where did she get all this... this contrition and sorrow from? Gimme back that confident, conniving con artist in the beginning of the book, please. Nevertheless, I guess it’s partly because she never got to choose for herself how to live her life. Once let loose, her real nature begins to take over (which is a good thing, because she does the right thing in the end). Even though the transition from “bad-ass teenage heistmeister” to “loyal, righteous heroine” is a little too fast and cheesy for my taste, it’s understandable. Plus, she’s got some pretty awesome friends to be loyal to.
James is a boy Violet has a crush on from their first encounter. He’s a sweet, caring boy with a musical talent. His father is a pianist and wants his son to follow in his footsteps, so, conflict. I’m glad there’s some gradual development from a crush to full-on romance. At least there are many encounters and events they experience together. Personally I don’t care about this romantic interest, but it’s nice to have this character in here to make decisions more complicated for Violet. Mwahahaha.
My favorite character in this book would be Taylor, a messed-up, snarky girl who becomes friends with Violet. She’s very intuitive and know from the beginning Violet is pretending to be Erica. But she doesn’t care. As the daughter of a lawyer (read: she can get in and out of any trouble), she’s seen a lot. Although I’m not a fan of Taylor’s partying/drinking/wildness, she’s an honest person who speaks what she thinks.
Another really weird character is Kerwin, a gorgeous exchange-student with a British accent and an iffy feel about him, who instantly gets Violet’s hackles up. I won’t ruin the surprise but can promise you there’s no insta-love or love-triangle. Even though he’s super HOT and DESIRABLE. So rest assured.
Mr. and Mrs. Silverman are both lovely characters. Mrs. Silverman is wrapped up in grief and despair, and Mr. Silverman is driven crazy by his little girl’s disappearance and is in a mental institution. A lot of Violet’s impostor mission relies on the parents’ trust and need for her to be the real Erica. They would rather believe she’s their Erica instead of wondering about her fate.
The world-building leaves something to be desired. It’s set in Vegas, one of the coolest places on earth, and all I could see was rich people in fenced-up mansions, and a regular old town. There’s got to be a reason why Painchaud set the story in Vegas and not any other place, so if she had included more iconic scenery and just let readers feel Vegas through the story would have been nice.
Ultimately, Pretending to Be Erica is a moderately fast-paced story with an enjoyable plot, and the characters are more or less likable. The ending seems a little like a cop-out, but on the whole, I’m glad I read this book. So, do you like books about heists? Heist Soceity? Dear Killer? If you do, definitely try this book.
No comments:
Post a Comment