Time to dive deep into the emotional world! Today's read steers into teenage life, dealing with grief, stepping into new stages of life, and a touch of first love. At least, that's what I'm getting after reading the blurb. The cover is giving me camping vibes (obviously), and I assume there's deep meaning in the title, which hints at the story. Part of me secretly hopes there are bears involved, but I'm pretty sure it's referring to star constellations.
Anyway, let's dive in and see what this one is about.
A CONSTELLATION OF MINOR BEARS
by Jen Ferguson
Heartdrum
YA Contemporary
352 pages
Award-winning author Jen Ferguson has written a powerful story about teens grappling with balancing resentment with enduring friendship—and how to move forward with a life that’s not what they’d imagined.
Before that awful Saturday, Molly used to be inseparable from her brother, Hank, and his best friend, Tray. The indoor climbing accident that left Hank with a traumatic brain injury filled Molly with anger.
While she knows the accident wasn’t Tray’s fault, she will never forgive him for being there and failing to stop the damage. But she can’t forgive herself for not being there either.
Determined to go on the trio’s post-graduation hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, even without Hank, Molly packs her bag. But when her parents put Tray in charge of looking out for her, she is stuck backpacking with the person who incites her easy anger.
Despite all her planning, the trail she’ll walk has a few more twists and turns ahead. . . .
Discover the evocative storytelling and emotion from the author of The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, which was the winner of the Governor General's Award, a Stonewall Award honor book, and a Morris Award finalist, as well as Those Pink Mountain Nights, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year!
Before that awful Saturday, Molly used to be inseparable from her brother, Hank, and his best friend, Tray. The indoor climbing accident that left Hank with a traumatic brain injury filled Molly with anger.
While she knows the accident wasn’t Tray’s fault, she will never forgive him for being there and failing to stop the damage. But she can’t forgive herself for not being there either.
Determined to go on the trio’s post-graduation hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, even without Hank, Molly packs her bag. But when her parents put Tray in charge of looking out for her, she is stuck backpacking with the person who incites her easy anger.
Despite all her planning, the trail she’ll walk has a few more twists and turns ahead. . . .
Discover the evocative storytelling and emotion from the author of The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, which was the winner of the Governor General's Award, a Stonewall Award honor book, and a Morris Award finalist, as well as Those Pink Mountain Nights, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year!
MY TIDBITS
Emotions slice and stab in a tale not only about forgiving others but learning to find ones' own place in the mess called life.
Molly was excited about the graduation trip, but after the accident, which left her brother injured and pushed him behind schedule, she's bordering on bitter. He could have come along but refused, since he hasn't graduated yet. So, she's stuck with their best friend Tray, who she can't help but blame for letting her brother get injured in the first place. To make things worse, her parents expect Tray to watch out for her—insulting and irritating. Somehow, she'll have to force herself to make it through the trip without letting her anger explode. But there is more coming her way than she thought.
The writing in these pages flows extremely well. The characters come across with tons of personality and a raw naturalness, which makes it easy to read and sink into. There are tons of emotions at play, and this slides in nicely with the age group. Some are understandable, while others are over-the-top. All have things they are bottling up, and each believes they can handle everything themselves, despite knowing that they truly can't. The back-and-forths carry snark edged with hints of naked truth, which hits with a personal note for readers to connect with.
An entire kettle full of problems and baggage stew in these pages, and many of the themes fit well with the audience. The first pages head right into this turmoil as Molly prepares for her graduation and trip, and that with a begrudging attitude carrying bite. Her anger is clear, and it hits everyone around her. The reader, however, remains in the dark concerning most of the reason until later in the novel...which does build tension and hold curiosity but isn't quite my thing. This brewing negativity clings to Molly like a second skin, and while she forces herself to be pleasant and deal with things, it makes her hard to like, at times. The other characters harbor their own issues to add to a thick weave of subplots and keep the tale intriguing. It mishes together to create a rich, emotional read, which hits upon more than a few social issues and personal battles on the path to finding balance.
And here she is...
1 comment:
Sounds like a lot on top of the normal teen angst.
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