Writing: 5/5 Characters: 5+/5 Plot: 5/5
Loved this book and absolutely loved the audio book reader (Katie Schorr) who added an extra authenticity in her outstanding rendition.
Freedom, Alabama. Ten-year old Elvis (a girl, named after Presley) is working her way through the 18 months of grief as defined by the school guidance counselor after the “accidental” death of her sleepwalking mother. In the meantime, her older sister Lizzie (15) has begun her own escalating experiences with sleepwalking which is (understandably) terrifying the family.
Despite the subject matter, this was in no way a depressing book. It’s an odd coming of age story of an unusual but absolutely relatable (to me) girl who loves her family, has no friends, is whip smart, and whose main objective (at this point) is to find out what really happened to her mother and to finish her mother’s book on the sleep patterns in animals. Think Flavia DeLuce.
The 10 (and later 11) year old voice is utterly believable and the portrait of the other characters — in particular the deceased mother — as seen only through a child’s perspective is startling in that the reader is faced with the stark notion that we are all interpreted differently depending on the interpreter! While I am focusing on Elvis, all of the characters were well-drawn, interesting, and didn’t have a stereotyped trait within 50 miles of their personalities. There was also a non traditional exploration of what constitutes mental illness — and how to make it through life in light of what is thrown at you — uncontrollable events, intractable people, or your own genetic predispositions.
This book reminded me of how much I like Southern Fiction — the quirkiness coupled with individualistic depth, utter nonconformity of thought, and the uniqueness of each family.
Books to look forward to ... 