After moving to Mexico with her parents, Winter Gutan had been hoping the local alternative medicine doctor would cure her mother’s illness. When her mother does not survive his controversial treatments, Winter’s life spirals in despair. Her father, a software engineer, insists his computer program, Fractalistic, will enable them to communicate with her mother’s spirit. But as his sanity begins … begins to slip, Winter confides in her friend Rafa, a computer wizard, who tells her he’s found information about using fractal technology to treat false memories-nothing paranormal about it, leaving Winter confused and without hope. Will she lose her mother forever?Suspecting her dad is hiding a deep secret, Winter runs Fractalistic behind his back, unveiling a sea of computer-generated imagery swirling on the screen. Her mother appears to her?begging for help! But is this all just Winter’s imagination?Fractalistic may enable Winter to communicate with her deceased mother, but it might also unleash more mysterious memories buried within Winter’s mind. To figure it all out, Winter must hack into her father’s system to uncover a horrifying truth…or remain in the dark forever.
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The title and the cover of this book are the initial reasons someone would feel compelled to pick it up and learn more. I say that because it’s eye-catching and pushes a person to wonder more deeply what it could be about. Would there be the potential for science-fiction or fantastical elements? I had little knowledge of the subject matter of fractals, but I was familiar with the author’s work, as I’ve read (and very much enjoyed) two of his other books. I assumed the tale would have something to do with a ‘broken’ young adult and that it would focus on Mexican heritage (based on cover and past styles — the author excels in these settings)! But what I read was so much more… and I’m excited to share my thoughts on it today.
Winter, ~17ish American girl, moves to Mexico with her parents, searching for a cure for her mother’s illness. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work, and her mother passes away. Winter and her father struggle to overcome the pain and loss. The book starts after the death, so we learn much of this in back story. The struggle is clear and obvious through the lack of words and emotion, brittle arguments, and abrasive moments between the two characters — all done in a beautiful and heartfelt way. Winter then meets some new friends at school, something she was reluctant to allow because the last time she trusted her friends, they all abandoned her when her mother had gotten sick. She’s been through a lot, but she is strong and pushes through the swirl around her. Winter is a fine balance of a young girl in need of love and guidance and a soon-to-be adult who is mature beyond her years.
Delgadillo lets us stir in confusion for a little while, trying to understand the mysterious fractals that her father is working on. All we know is that they are a way to communicate with his deceased wife, Winter’s mom. They both want to see her again, whether it’s real or spiritual, but we can clearly tell it’s affecting them differently. Her father is angry and forceful to get Winter on board with trying harder to connect with her mom. We think he’s being too aggressive, but there are reasons beyond what we know at the time. This is where we feel the fantastical elements, and it’s a startling and beautiful moment of bliss and pain — what if it actually works?
By midway, Winter’s developed friends, even a boyfriend of sorts. He has his own issues. It’s with her new best girl friend that Winter finds an intriguing connection, as her mother is also interested in the research Winter’s father is conducting. We see the relationships grow among each of the people in Winter’s life, all the while knowing something else is going on beyond what we’ve been told. It’s not easy to figure out, and when it hits you about 75% through the book, you’ll stop and need to take a breath. Our beloved characters are far worse off than we realized, but we feel even more enamored with them, hoping they can make the fractals work.
Delgadillo tells a poignant story. With several parts using Spanish (and enough English translations in the text to make the points clear), we have a different layer to the story. It’s not just a typical family we might know; it’s a family with different cultural beliefs, heritages, stories, and interpretations of life and death. I loved seeing these aspects in the book, as I felt it made the story even stronger. Winter is not a typical young adult, but in many ways, she is exactly the type of kid we’ve all seen somewhere along the path. Take away the science-fiction and ‘death’ turbulence in her life, she is going through all the normal things teenagers do… relocation, making new friends, dating a boy/girl for the first time, dealing with parental issues, etc.
Kudos to Delgadillo for a multi-dimensional story with tons of emotional peaks that will make you quite glad you took a chance on this one!
I loved this book! I loved everything about it!! The MC, Winter, is such a well developed character. I found myself so wrapped up in everything she was feeling, and going through. And Winter was dealing with an awful lot for a young girl. Then she met Rafa, who she was attracted to. I loved Rafa, i think everyone will love Rafa!! She also made friends with a girl from school named Julia. Winter really likes Julia, but then at times she’s not so sure she trusts her, or her mother.
I loved the whole concept of the fractals, it intrigued me throughout the story. Delgadillo was masterful the way he weaved together a story that dealt with so many issues, and brought in the fractals and a bit of mystery and even a little freakiness where Winter isn’t sure who to trust and weird things happen that freak her out. It just kept the plot moving at a nice steady pace, where you didn’t want to put the book down.
The beautifully, well-written characters had such a strong impact on the story, all of them. From the very strange to the very endearing, they all had a profound affect on me as i read the story. And the end will stay with me forever!! This is definitely a book i will read more than once, and i will be buying a copy for my library.
In Fratalistic, Winter relocates with her parents to Mexico in hopes of finding a cure for her mother. However, her mother passes and Winter is left caring for her father who turns to alcohol and seemingly crazy experiments to find his wife in fractals.
Each of the characters are colorfully brought to life and Winter is very likable as the lead. She cares for others more than herself. When she meets Rafi at school, the sparks fly off the page and an unconventional kind of love story ensues. It also looks at culture and some of the text is in Spanish. This story is mixed with darker elements making for a very interesting read. It is heartwarming and sad with shocking twists that keep the reader turning pages. As a fan of the Twilight Zone and YA, I loved it. It is an original must-read to understand kind of story.