Tomorrow River

On the recommendation of my good friend, Kristin, I reserved Tomorrow River by Leslie Kagan for myself at the public library. I didn't have any idea what the book was about, but knew that I already owned one novel by Kagen, and that Kristin had enjoyed the narrator in this book.

I started it, but had a hard time concentrating...maybe too many things needed to get done that day. So, I restarted it and found a little time yesterday to work myself far enough into the book that I didn't want to stop reading. I stayed up a bit too late last night, read it while using the elliptical this morning and finished it over lunch.

Yes, the narration is fantastic. I love Shenny. I love the story. And I love the ending which surprised me.

Shenandoah and her sister Jane Woodrow (Woody) are being raised by their father after their mother's mysterious disappearance last year. Since that time Woody has stopped talking, although some of her behavior has become downright bizarre. Their father, a judge, is a hard man to please and the girls have spent much of the year on their property, sometimes even locked up at night in the root cellar. Shenny feels like she should take care of her sister, and decides that finding their mother would help Woody. So she begins to look for a bit of information about where her mother may have gone. No body has been found, so Shenny is sure that her mother is out there somewhere waiting for them. Until her father lets it slip one day that her mother has died. Still, things don't quite add up, especially when her mother's close friend is arrested for her murder. This read is rather suspenseful - I had to pack it in my book bag to take to school today just in case I could find a spare minute or two to finish it off.

I also liked the writing. One example of the writing I enjoyed so much:

"On the kind of spring afternoon that makes you want to crawl into Mother Nature's lap and give her a kiss of gratitude, I was snuggled out on Mama's and my reading bench (155)."

I will be looking for more of Kagan's work as I was totally taken in by this book. What a great read! Finding my next book may be challenging.