[I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley and Atheneium Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Guinevere, her sister Elizabeth (Bitty), and their dad move back to Gwyn’s parents’ home town, Crow, Iowa, because of Vienna. Vienna is Gwyn’s mother. Six years ago, when Gwyn was four and Bitty was a baby, Vienna’s heart stopped. Her brain was without oxygen for a long time. While she was eventually revived, her brain was damaged. Vienna doesn’t remember anything now beyond age 13. She remembers her husband because they had been childhood friends. She remembers her mother and sisters, but she can’t reconcile their older, adult lives with her childhood memories. She doesn’t know her daughters at all.
In Iowa, Gwyn and Bitty have Nana and their dad there to help them with the day in and day out activities. They see Vienna at her care facility and on outings, but it is hard to see the person who should love you the most not even know who you are. One saving grace to the whole move is Gwyn’s friendship with Micah and Jimmy. Along with Bitty, the four kids do everything together, including their attempts to solve the disappearance of a local man. Micah’s mom, Gaysie, is Gwyn’s primary suspect. Everyone in town talks about her and whispers about “the accident” that happened when Gwyn’s parents and Gaysie were kids.
Gwyn will learn a lot about her new community, her new friends, her mom and even herself as she experiences these early months in Iowa.
Review
This is a lovely, heartbreaking story of family and friendship. There are several layers to this, and they all worked well.
On the surface, this is about Gwyn and her family, especially her mother. My heart broke for Gwyn (who acts older than 10 in a lot of ways) as she tries to manage her emotions about her mother. The situation is difficult and tragic, but Gwyn’s dad refuses to lose hope. Gwyn’s anger and resentment is understandable; she is grieving in her own way the lost of her mother in a parental role in her life.
This is also about the past. The family moves back to Iowa hoping the familiar people and places will help Vienna regain some of the memories she has lost. There are a lot of references to the past, especially to the friendship between Gwyn’s parents and Gaysie, and the mysterious “accident.”
Then there’s the mystery. Gaysie’s neighbor and friend, Wilber, disappears, and Gwyn is determined to figure out what happened to him. At the same time, there’s also her friendship with Jimmy and Micah which grows while they work on the mystery.
I don’t think the mystery is central enough to put this in that genre. I’d categorize this as realistic fiction. It’s beautiful and emotional. A really engaging story. This would be a great addition to personal libraries, school libraries, classroom libraries and class read-alouds. Just be sure to have tissues nearby!