Category Archives: Dana L. Davis

Title: The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Fiction
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

She can feel sorry for herself.

Or she can listen…to the voice in her head.

For Indigo Phillips, life has always been about basking in the shadow of her identical twin, Violet—the perfectly dressed, gentle, popular sister. The only problem the girls had in their lives was the occasional chaos that came with being part of the Phillips family brood. But when Violet becomes terminally ill and plans to die on her own terms via medically assisted death, Indigo spirals into desperation in her efforts to cope. That’s when she begins to hear a mysterious voice—a voice claiming to be God. The Voice insists that if she takes Violet to a remote rock formation in the Arizona desert, her sister will live.

Incredibly, Violet agrees to go—if their dysfunctional family tags along for the ride. With all nine members stuffed into a wonky old paratransit bus, including their controlling older sister and distant mother, Indigo must find a way to face insecurities she’s spent a lifetime masking and step up to lead the trip. As she deals with outrageous mishaps, strange lodgings and even stranger folks along the way, Indigo will figure out how to come to terms with her sister, her family…and the voice in her head.

Review:

The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis is a poignant yet humorous young adult novel.

Indigo Phillips cannot imagine life without her terminally ill twin sister Violet who is on the verge of dying.  Just as she is about to jump from a building, Indigo hears, what she believes to be, the Voice of God.  In the hospital after her accidental fall, she persuades her parents, her much older sister Michelle and her younger brother Alfred that she is not suicidal. Now with the family gathering to read their last letters to Violet who is planning to die with dignity through medically assisted death, Indigo convinces everyone God told her they must go to Arizona. Despite everyone’s skepticism, the entire family, along with their New Age Pastor Jedidiah Barnabas, Michelle’s husband Drew and their two sons, embark on a road trip from Seattle to Coyote Bluffs where they must win a daily lottery so they can hike to The Wave.

Indigo is trying to come to terms with a plethora of issues in the face of Violet’s imminent death. Her sister is well-liked, easy-going and a rule follower. Since Indigo is none of those things, she cannot understand why she is the twin who is going to live.  Her relationship with her parents, especially her mom, is very complex and Indigo believes that while her mother loves her, she does not particularly like her. Indigo is also constantly butting heads with Michelle, who is very bossy and extremely outspoken. She is also very hurt and confused since Violet has distanced herself from her in the preceding months. Indigo is counting on this trip to somehow miraculously save Indigo, but are her and her family’s expectations unrealistic? And, is God really speaking to Indigo?

The Voice in My Head is an engaging, laugh out loud funny novel that also deals with very sensitive subject matter.  The Phillips’ family leans more toward the dysfunctional side so it is unsurprising that Indigo is flailing in the upcoming loss of her twin sister.  Although it takes a majority of the trip, many of the family members’ issues come to light which in turn forces them to face their problems head on.  Dana L. Davis brings this emotional, heartfelt novel to a surprisingly uplifting conclusion. An outstanding young adult novel that I highly recommend to older teenage and adult readers.