My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece
2 journalers for this copy...
His sister Jasmine, twin to the late Rose, seems to have coped better with the loss than their parents; their mother has abandoned the family and their father spends most of his time drunk.
So, pretty bleak story, right? Not exactly! Sure, the family breakdown is sad, but young Jamie's view of life tends to be more upbeat and naive - at least until he finds himself at a new school, bullied by the resident mean kids and befriended by a girl with sparkling eyes, an attitude -and a hajib. Jamie knows his father won't permit him to associate with a Muslim, since "they're the ones who murdered Rose", but he really *likes* Sunya. Since his sister Jasmine has been spending more time with her new boyfriends, Jamie's only pal is his beloved cat Roger; maybe he could be friends with Sunya as long as his dad doesn't find out...
The story has lots of ups and downs, with some pretty harrowing scenes here and there - including Jamie's faith that his mother will eventually turn up to one of the many school events he invites her to. Is there a chance that this broken family can be mended, and if so, at what cost?
For all the trauma, there are some charming moments here - and while poor Jamie has to suffer several losses of his own, from disillusionment about his mother to a much more personal one that had me sobbing, before he can finally understand why his family was hit so hard by Rose's death, there is hope at the end.
*** Released for the 2017 Oh, the Places We Can Go release challenge, for the embedded "Mantel" in the title; it's a town in Germany. ***
Released 6 yrs ago (12/17/2017 UTC) at Village Kitchen & Pie Shoppe in Carlsbad, California USA
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