Bibliography: Fantaskey, Beth. (2010). Jekel Loves Hyde. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN: 9780152063900
Plot Summary: Jill Jekel and Tristen Hyde have their own reasons for working together to compete for a prestigious chemistry prize. Jill is hoping to win money for college, while Tristen is hoping against hope that they can discover a formula to help him before its too late. Jekel and Hyde aren’t just their names, but their history and perhaps destiny. This project might be just what Jill needs to confront her father’s murder, and as the work on the formula progresses, Tristen realizes he’ll have to confront his father as well. But when Jill accidentally ingests some of the formula, will their feelings for each other survive their transformations?
Critical Analysis: This whole book, starting with the cover art, has a feeling of mad science, of Frankenstein and yes, of course, of the original Jekyll and Hyde. The desolate funeral in the middle of winter, breaking into the school late at night, pouring over and deciphering spidery handwritten notes, descriptions of reactions to drinking the formula only serve to heighten this feeling. The alternating viewpoints between Tristen and Jill are also very effective, allowing the reader to see a fuller picture of events and the characters involved in them.
If I have any problem with this book, it is with the sort of unrelentingness of it all. There is no joking or levity, no scenes of teenagers being teenagers. Everything is super dramatic and no one ever forgets the seriousness of the situation they find themselves in. This may be a factor of the original source material, which I recall was serious in tone as well. And I also have to remind myself that teens often feel that way about events in their lives, giving them great weight and meaning.
I also have a quibble with the comment from the Kirkus Review about what happens to Jill when she ingests the formula. Is it stereotypical? Perhaps, but having been a Jill Jekel in the past, I can tell you that at least for me, it rings true. Is it a statement about society and gender? Probably so, but I also see a sort of naivete that comes from lack of experience and not knowing that the opposite of being a good girl is not necessarily becoming a slut, but that there is power in claiming all sides of who you are. For that matter, I’d like to argue that the effect of the formula on Jill was completely psychological, not physiological, but then this would start to sound an awful lot like a paper of literary critique. Suffice it to say that Fantaskey’s novel is more complex and layered than it first appears. Be that as it may, there are many girls who are Jill Jekels out there who will see themselves in this story, and many more who will enjoy the good girl/bad boy romance. If any of them then read the source and decide to write a paper, even better.
Review Excerpts: “Fantaskey’s (Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side) premise is creative, and there are plenty of twists to keep readers engaged—right through the fiery final face-off.”–Publisher’s Weekly
“What if Jill holds the ancient Jekyll secret, the chemical formula to create monsters out of men? Can that help Tristen? Sadly, it can’t help this novel.”–Kirkus Reviews
“This novel is filled with compelling plot devices; one particularly nice touch is the way that Jekel and Hyde alternate telling their stories, embodying a double perspective. Fans of the genre won’t be able to resist this slick genre update.”–Booklist
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