This little book packed a considerable punch. I went into this expecting a young adult contemporary novel but it was more profound than that. Told with prose, the reader experiences the grief and reconciliation of a 16-year-old girl who learns suddenly that her estranged mother passed away months before. This story requires the reader's attention and will make you think deeper than many young adult novels I've read. It's layered with nuances and things aren't always straight out explained to the reader, which I loved. While everything wasn't answered entirely, I feel like that was the intent of the author, and was satisfied with how it wrapped up. There were times we jumped from dream states, to present, to past and I'd have to slow down to prevent getting lost. This slight discombobulation is what kept this from being a 5-star read for me.
Topics include nuanced family drama, broken families, generational trauma, addiction, and coming of age.
Topics include nuanced family drama, broken families, generational trauma, addiction, and coming of age.