Author: Jayne Pupek
There is a certain grace in the face of hardship factor that really makes me root for Southern fiction protagonists. This book made me ache for young Ellie, knowing that everyone around her would fail to help her through life’s struggles in the end, that she would have to grow to take care of herself in a different way than anyone else could. In that way, this book reminded me very much of the books Ellen Foster and Make Lemonade. There is such a danger for youth when the ones they count on the most cannot be counted on. This story is a prime example.
Ellie’s mother, who most likely suffers from severe bipolar disorder with psychotic features, swings like an off-kilter pendulum between inappropriate happiness to anguish, doing things I could not imagine. Her relationship with Baby Tom in the jar while he is refusing to nurse is a prime example of this. I saw this as a brilliant relationship opportunity for Pupek to explore and was glad she did. It was very original and sad with a tinge of the blackest humor. With the added injury until the point of her dramatic and somehow relieving death, Ellie becomes her crutch, leaning hardest as her husband brings in a teenage girl for help but ends up leaving with her.
All in all, this book has a flair for the dramatic, making it an enjoyable, fascinating read. And any book with baby chicks is likely to win me over. I hope to read more of Pupek’s work in the future.
Overall Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
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