Review of Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams

Format: Hardback
Genres: Contemporary, Abuse, Neglect,
Pages: 197
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Release Date: 15/03/2011
Find The Author: Website
Book Depository ¦ Amazon UK/US ¦ Goodreads

Thirteen-year-old Lacey wakes to a beautiful summer morning excited to begin her new job at the library, just as her mother is supposed to start work at the grocery store. Lacey hopes that her mother's ghosts have finally been laid to rest; after all, she seems so much better these days, and they really do need the money. But as the hours tick by and memories come flooding back, a day full of hope spins terrifyingly out of control...

One thing I love about contemporary that I rarely see in other books, is the ability to fit so much story and emotion into a very short space without leaving out important details or making the characters feel underdeveloped and Miles From Ordinary really lives up to that. Weighing in at 197 pages, Lacey's story of neglect and hope was shocking and inspiring.

The story is very clever, set in the course of one day and covering many years as well. Lacey and her Mom are both starting new jobs, something Lacey is scared about, but hopeful, seeing herself working in the library for a long time, just like her aunt used to. Through the course of the day, we follow Lacey as she thinks back to her childhood and all the events that led up to that day. Everything goes well, until Lacey goes to collect her mother from work and she's not there.

 The ending was pretty horrifying, to be honest. I wasn't sure what was happening in parts, what was real and what wasn't real but everything soon made a lot more sense. The book leaves on a hopeful note, that Lacey might finally be able to build a life for herself.


Comments

  1. CG @ Paper Fury11:48 am BST

    Ooh, I'm always up for horrifying endings. Nothing like staying up all night cuddling your pillow because THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING SNEAKING INTO YOUR HOUSE. Or whatnot. You know. Normal stuff. Definitely keeping this book on the radar. ;)

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