How did I get the book? I bought it on recommendation, thank you @Kara_Malinczak & @MissWendyD
Genre: Contemporary
Synopsis: THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN’T LEAVE BEHIND…
A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen-year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and the girls are found by their father, a stranger, and taken to re-enter the “normal” life of school, clothes and boys.
Now, Carey must come to terms with the truth of why their mother spirited them away ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go … a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.
200words (or less) review: As debuts go I have to say that Emily Murdoch is one of the most impressive I have read in a while. Not only is the story heart-breaking but the writing had me hooked. I barely moved unless it was to turn a page.
Carey is our narrator, she has a very distinct voice which took a little getting used to at the beginning. In the first chapter Carey explains her talent for cooking beans many different ways so her little sister will eat them. It’s only a paragraph but tells you so much, Carey shouldn’t have to do this.
With each new experience the girls have in the “real” world and the secrets that come out your heart breaks a little more. If You Find Me is not an easy read but it’s special, despite everything there are parts that restore your faith in people. I particularly loved Jenessa and her friendship with Shorty.
There is rarely such a thing as a perfect book but If You Find Me comes very close.
Recommend it?
Sunshine Star
Yay! So glad you loved it, Luna, and thank you for the shout-out! This was a very special book for me this year!