"Forever is a family thing. Blood thicker than water/forever. Always look out for your own/forever. In our family, it's different. Mama will be gone forever/sister will control us forever/AFT3RMATH. We don't know what to do quite yet. In time, we'll figure it out/take more dares/stop living in boxes."
Time has stopped, yet the world has moved on, relying on N3WCLOCK to continue normal life. In Truda's house, there's a switch nailed into a box. She doesn't know what the switch does, just that she's not supposed to flip it. Instead, high school seniors across the country are working on projects to restart time. Truda believes that learning to experience your emotions and care about others might hold the answers.
This book is highly speculative and philosophical. I was never quite sure if I was supposed to be taking it seriously or assuming everything was allegorical.
At the heart of this book is a very troubled family struggling to move on. Sister has a narcissistic personality and has tortured her siblings for years. Six months ago, she moved out, but her presence lingers. Then Mama left, deciding the family would be better off without her. Daddy copes by building boxes all throughout the house, nailing Truda's room in box 7 and Richard's room in box 11. Richard copes by jumping rope and learning Portuguese and making sure his secrets stay well hidden. Truda becomes exceptionally good at javelin throwing, setting a new world record and joining the ranks of people who seem to have gained magical abilities since time stopped.
The sweetest moments in this book happen when Truda helps the girl who learns to fly cope with her mysterious magical abilities.
All that said, this book left me feeling like I wasn't quite smart enough for it.
Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the advance review copy of this book.
Time has stopped, yet the world has moved on, relying on N3WCLOCK to continue normal life. In Truda's house, there's a switch nailed into a box. She doesn't know what the switch does, just that she's not supposed to flip it. Instead, high school seniors across the country are working on projects to restart time. Truda believes that learning to experience your emotions and care about others might hold the answers.
This book is highly speculative and philosophical. I was never quite sure if I was supposed to be taking it seriously or assuming everything was allegorical.
At the heart of this book is a very troubled family struggling to move on. Sister has a narcissistic personality and has tortured her siblings for years. Six months ago, she moved out, but her presence lingers. Then Mama left, deciding the family would be better off without her. Daddy copes by building boxes all throughout the house, nailing Truda's room in box 7 and Richard's room in box 11. Richard copes by jumping rope and learning Portuguese and making sure his secrets stay well hidden. Truda becomes exceptionally good at javelin throwing, setting a new world record and joining the ranks of people who seem to have gained magical abilities since time stopped.
The sweetest moments in this book happen when Truda helps the girl who learns to fly cope with her mysterious magical abilities.
All that said, this book left me feeling like I wasn't quite smart enough for it.
Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the advance review copy of this book.