Interrupted

Allie Everly has to grow up way too quickly when her mother is diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Allie refuses to let anyone else care for her no matter how difficult it is even when her mother is irrational and doesn't seem to know who Allie is.  Allie's mother had taught her that Christians are foolish and that there is no God.   If her childhood friend, Sam, hadn't shown up at the door when he did, Allie thinks she might have been able to save her mother.  Her father left them years ago so Allie has no one. 

Following the funeral, Allie is taken from her home in Tennessee with only a few of her belongings and placed in a home in Maine with Miss Beatrice Lovell, an older woman whose children are grown.   Miss Beatrice tries for years to break Allie's hard heart but Allie makes it quite difficult and clear that Miss Beatrice is NOT her mother.  The best each of them hope for within Miss Beatrice's home is  polite strangers, even though I do feel that Miss Beatrice tried everything she knew to get through to Allie and to show her love.  The only joy Allie seems to find is in the writing she does to her mother and sketching.

Several years later, Sam shows up visiting his aunt in Maine. Sam has always been there for Allie even though her treatment toward him when they were children was less than ideal as well.   When he heads off to war, Allie realizes she may never see him again.  Might this be the tool that will wedge open the small crack in her hard shell?  Is it too late for Allie to love and be loved?  Will she ever move beyond her bitter attitude?

Set just prior to WW II, Interrupted is the first Young Adult published writing by sixteen year old Rachel Coker.  As a middle school teacher, I can say that Rachel's writing far exceeds the ability of most sixteen year olds.  While Allie did frustrate me due to her lack of desire to even be kind to the woman who was reaching out to her, does that not indicate that Ms. Coker did a good job in her portrayal?  Her writing evoked that frustration in me.  I enjoyed all the different facets of Allie's personality that Ms. Coker revealed throughout the story.  Just the opposite of Allie, Sam is an endearing young man who continues to turn the other cheek.

I have no doubt that Interrupted is the first of many books written by Rachel Coker which will grace the bookstore shelves.  I look forward to reading the story she comes up with next.  I did receive this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was in no way obligated to leave a positive review.