Minders

Minders

by Michele Jaffe

Synopsis:

Q: If the boy you love commits a crime, would you turn him in?
Sadie Ames is a type-A teenager from the wealthy suburbs. She''s been accepted to the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program, where she''ll spend six weeks as an observer inside the head of Ford, a troubled boy with a passion for the crumbling architecture of the inner city. There''s just one problem: Sadie''s fallen in love with him.
Q: What if the crime is murder?
Ford Winters is haunted by the murder of his older brother, James. As Sadie falls deeper into his world, dazzled by the shimmering pinpricks of color that form images in his mind, she begins to think she knows him. Then Ford does something unthinkable.
Q: What if you saw it happen from inside his mind?
Back in her own body, Sadie is faced with the ultimate dilemma. With Ford''s life in her hands, she must decide what is right and what is wrong. And how well she can really ever know someone, even someone she loves.
A high concept, cinematic read with a surprising twist, MINDERS asks the question: who is really watching who?

My thoughts:

Enter the mind of subject nine, aka Ford Winters, a nineteen year old boy troubled boy who is haunted by the murder of his brother.  A mind that is angry and while it has the potential for murder and destruction also has the potential to love and create.  Sadie Ames enters this mind when she is selected for the Mind Corps Fellowship. As a Mind Corp researcher, Sadie will experience Syncopy, which allows her to live within a subject’s mind as an observer while her own body is placed in stasis. Sadie trusts that her cold and analytical mind will make her the perfect candidate to objectively catalogue her subject’s thoughts and actions. But being inside the mind of Ford Winter is much more intense than Sadie anticipated. Seeing all of Ford’s thoughts and insecurities, Sadie is fascinated by the workings of her subject’s mind and soon finds it impossible to keep her emotions in check. Sadie watches helplessly as the boy she comes to love place himself in the crosshairs of a highly dangerous enemy. This edgy sci-fi thriller is a refreshing change from the post apocalyptic literature of late and provides an accurate and consuming picture of humanity. Jaffe perfectly describes Ford’s subconscious thoughts and raw emotions such as grief, betrayal and love, leaving readers feeling as though they are trapped inside his mind along with Sadie.  An expertly written novel that is highly recommended for teen readers.