Far From You

Far From You

By: Lisa Schroeder

Lost and alone...down the rabbit hole. Years have passed since Alice lost her mother to cancer, but time hasn't quite healed the wound. Alice copes the best she can by writing her music, losing herself in her love for her boyfriend, and distancing herself from her father and his new wife. But when a deadly snowstorm traps Alice with her stepmother and newborn half sister, she'll face issues she's been avoiding for too long. As Alice looks to the heavens for guidance, she discovers something wonderful. Perhaps she's not so alone after all.

I decided to jump right into another book in verse. 1.) because the first one so much and 2.) because I am a bit behind on reading because of NaNoWriMo and I knew I could fly through it in a couple hours.

I will say that I really liked this one. Once I started it I wasn't sure that I would. I've read stories like this before (contemporary with blended family troubles) and while I realize why they are important to people, I've never really connected to them. But this was one that I genuinely liked. I don't know if it's because it felt like the character development happened quickly, rather than her slowly coming to the conclusion that she was wrong.

The writing was really pretty, particularly in the car bits of the story. I loved that it was more of a snapshot into their lives (I think that kind of story works best in verse). You got close to all the characters and I felt like I understood them despite the relatively short time you spend with them in the book.

I was surprised that I genuinely ended up caring about Alice and Victoria. In these types of stories I usually find myself lacking empathy for the characters, but I really wanted them to both work it out.

I don't have much else to say, but this is a quick and good read if you're interested in books told in verse.

Quotes:

"As if sadness
can be thrown,
like a small stone,
into a raging river
and quickly
forgotten."

"What I believe
is that life
is music and fabulous fall foliage,
but it's also cancer and wars."

"But in an instant,
I saw what I couldn't see,
and it was
wonderful
and sad
all at the same time."

"I don't think it matters how hearts are mended, Al.
Just that they are, you know?"

"Everything's always changing.
Nothing stays the same,
Yesterday's gone forever,
I've got memories and my name.

But like Alice I grow bigger,
and I shrink back, yes, it's true.
It's the ebbs and flows of life,
it's the rabbit hole we go through."