For Loa the death of her sister Asta is compounded by the rather violent death of her friend Esther who is killed in an accident. As a teenager I also struggled with anxiety and depression that was spawned after the death of someone very close to me. The story itself is good and well told, and I found myself really feeling for the character of Loa. While I did enjoy this book, I can't really rate it higher than a three. I wish that the ending scene had been more towards the middle, with a revelation about death or the freak observer to finish off what had been such an emotional novel. I found it lack luster with many question unanswered. The only disappointing thing about The Freak Observer was the ending. I also loved how the physics question at the beginning of each chapter alluded to the emotional content of the chapter. I loved how the concept of the freak observer (a single brain in space observing the universe) became something Loa could compare herself to, something that represented how isolated and alone she felt in the world. The constant bombardment Loa received of images or situations regarding death in each chapter scarred her emotionally until she perceived death as an actual person. Two topics dominated the novel: death and the freak observer. Readers see how her parent's apathy towards her in the wake of the tragedy turned Loa from an engaging child to a bitter and tired young woman. As many families do Loa's started out friendly and kind but turned sour and cold after Asta's death. The Freak Observer is one of the best novels I've read recently about family dynamics, especially with how illness destroys everyone, not just the patient, from inside out. When I finished the novel all I wanted to do was give her a hug. Every time she tried to rise above her situation she was knocked down by another obstacle. It's not like you can blame a mattress when people don't tie it down tight enough." Loa's heartbreaking life is caused by circumstances she can't control: her sister's illness, her parents' temper and lack of compassion, her poverty, and Esther's death.
Right from the start, Loa reminded me of a quote from Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls: "Emma is a mattress who got thrown off the truck when her parents split up.
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