A complex, deliberate examination of grief and recovery.
The eight days surrounding the 2020 U.S. presidential election form the backdrop for one young woman’s journey through grief.
Wilhelmina Hart was supposed to spend the year after high school in Pennsylvania with her beloved aunts, a polyamorous trio she’s summered with forever. Then her aunt Frankie, who “used to make the world shine,” died, and now Covid-19 has her aunts Margaret and Esther crowded into Wilhelmina’s family’s suburban Boston apartment. Wilhelmina, who’s short, fat, and experiences chronic pain, is reduced to running errands and overseeing her younger siblings’ remote schooling. Julie and Bee, her best friends, are in a pandemic pod without her. And “the monster” is poised to win re-election. But Wilhelmina is suddenly having strange experiences, shared, inexplicably, with attractive classmate James Fang, who’s of Italian and Chinese descent. In her customary meticulous prose, Cashore nails the grinding misery of the moment, with masks fogging glasses and tempers flaring. Scenes from summers past are interleaved with the day-by-day narrative, providing backstory. The climax is signaled at the beginning of each chapter, starting with the first: “On the Friday eight days before Wilhelmina stepped into her own, she…” Her own what? readers will wonder as Wilhelmina struggles against enveloping unhappiness. If the answer to what is a bit anticlimactic in its specifics, the emotional work it takes Wilhelmina to get there is honest and true. Aunt Esther is Jewish and Afro-Cuban, Julie is Black, and other major characters are white.
A complex, deliberate examination of grief and recovery. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9780803739994
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
