Fade

Fade. Robert Cormier. New York: Delacorte Press, 1988. 310 pp.
Paul Moreaux is a thirteen-year-old boy living in Frenchtown, Massachusetts. Meeting him on the street, one would assume he is just an ordinary child. As it turns out, he is anything but ordinary. Paul has inherited the ability to disappear, or as he calls it, fade, from his Uncle Adelard. When Paul fades he realizes it is not exactly what he had hoped for. He goes into people’s homes and observes things that are better left unseen. As Paul grows older he knows that the next fader is out there somewhere, and that he must find whoever it is. Will Paul be able to help his nephew in time? This book is an exciting fantasy that will intrigue the minds of its readers.
Once I began reading Fade, I could not stop. It grabbed my attention and each chapter kept me wanting more. Robert Cormier does an excellent job describing what it would be like to disappear, and he made me think about the consequences this ability would bring. I felt as though Cormier left no stones unturned, and this fantasy stacks up with the best of them. Although the act of fading seems a bit unfeasible, it stimulates the imagination and provides for an outstanding novel. Rank: 10 out of 10.
Reviewed by Chad