Heather T. Smith

In one weekend, I was able to hunker down and read both Heather Smith’s newest young adult titles. Starting with The Agony of Bun O’Keefe I was struck by the honesty of her writing.

The year is 1986, the place is Newfoundland and Bun O’Keefe is a fourteen year old girl basically living off the grid with her mother, a hoarder, in a home stuffed to the rafters with shopping. She’s asthmatic, naive, and uneducated and when her mother tells her to “Get out!”, she does. She hitchhikes show more all the way to St. John’s. Her only understanding of the world comes from the books and the movies her mother brings home in her wagon each day. She sets off looking for a Mission and thankfully find Busker Boy, an Innu man making a living with his guitar on the streets of St. John’s. Busker Boy sees the naivety in Bun and brings her home with him, introducing her to a whole host of characters who all live together under the roof of the Landlord, or Dragon Man. There is Chef training by day to take on the culinary world but is melancholy, there is Cher/Chris who is so nurturing and kind but not welcome at his home because his dad doesn’t agree with his lifestyle, and there is Big Eyes who has a dark secret and can no longer face her religious zealot of a mother. Together they educate Bun, taking care of her and teaching her about the world around her. It’s certainly not all roses, Bun has to face some very hard realities but Busker Boy treats her as a little sister. He keeps her safe and loves her in a way her mother never could.

The beauty in Heather Smith’s writing is her honesty. She tells the hard truths and provides a mirror to young people. There is beauty in the heartbreak of Bun’s story. There is a real quality and something so relatable in each of the characters. Maybe you see your younger self reflected in Bun. Perhaps you feel the same pain as Chef. Maybe you are holding onto a haunting secret and just need to know you are not alone on your journey. There is so, so much love in this story. As difficult as the subject matter can be at times, there is always love show less

Beware the tears, as this book could sweetly make them fall. Granddad and Pops spend every Saturday with Lou. They have a routine. First breakfast, then the library, and some playtime. One Day, Pops takes a tumble, and the news is not good. He will have to use a wheelchair the rest of his life. This makes him sad, and Lou doesn’t want pops to be sad, so he comes up with a plan. It’s so sweet and nice, it will get your heart doing a pitter patter. Granddad and Pops could be spouses, show more brothers, friends, or they could be father and son. The book never says because it’s not important to the story. I bring it up in the review because I read it as a couple based on the illustrations, and we need more books like this. Books about various types of relationships, and books about changes when someone gets older, that isn’t just about explaining death. It's very well done, and I loved every minute. show less

First sentence: We're different now, me and Peter. That's the thing about being left behind--it changes your whole being. It's like how abandoned animals stop trusting humans. They go wild and crazy and when they're rescued it takes ages for them to calm down, to love and be loved again. Don't get me wrong, Uncle Scott is a decent guy and Manny makes the best grilled cheese I've ever had. But me and Peter? We're still in the hissing and biting stage.

My thoughts (preview): I am SO conflicted show more on this one. I am. On the one hand EXQUISITE, beautiful writing. On the other hand, the trigger warnings this book needs is longer than a Walgreens receipt. No lie. Here's the thing just because real life can sometimes have ALL THE TRAUMA (and then some) does not mean that most/many readers in the [so-called] target audience are mentally and emotionally prepared for the trauma in the pages. That's why I'm conflicted. I don't want to deny that bad stuff happens to kids. I might be a horrible person to think that the real target audience should be adults who work with kids--teachers, librarians, principals, counselors, foster parents, etc. I can see why books like this exist, even perhaps need to exist, but should it be sorted as children's or middle grade???? [Goodreads lists both in the target age range].

Premise/plot: Tig (and Peter) have been "rescued" from a dangerous situation. They've been living on their own in a house without electricity for months ever since they were abandoned. Now Tig (and Peter) will be living with Uncle Scott and his partner, Manny, but Tig equates this new situation as fake, too good to be true. She trusts NO ONE, not even a little bit. With Peter by her stand she holds onto a bit of dignity but not a smidge of hope for a new beginning.

My thoughts (continued): The novel is on the shorter side--which is good. I think it's a potent novel. The emotions are so concentrated, so focused, so negative, so raw, that I wasn't aching for a longer read. There are layers. There are twists and turns. This is one of those where knowing that actual-actual-actual plot would spoil too much. So yes, one can say oh it's about a girl living with her uncle and his partner...but beyond that, well, you can't talk about the plot or the characters or the character development.

I am again so conflicted with this one. There are scenes that are so hard to read because of how disturbing the situations are.

Quotes:

The sympathy on his face leaked out his pores and dripped on the floor. I put on my imaginary boots and splashed in his pity puddle. He got drenched. I stayed dry. My yellow raincoat matched my boots.

We didn't know when the hour was up because seconds don't hang around, they tick away, and it's not like you can collect them and count them up. Once they're gone, they're gone.

If you were a clean slate, you wouldn't be you. And knowing who you are, it kind of helps you, you know? It's what keeps you going. show less

In a perfect world, this little gem of a middle-grade novel would find a huge audience of all ages. If you want a story full of feeling, this is it.

Tig is rough and tumble, and defensive and vulnerable, and I adored her to bits.

The writing style is so admirably suited to Tig’s story, you almost forget this is penned by an adult because Tig’s voice rings so true to a child who’s endured some really tough stuff in her short life.

As for the pacing, it’s perfection, this is a girl show more whose emotional scars run deep, there’s trauma there, her self-worth and trust have taken severe hits, and you know realistically it would take time for her to adjust to a new life, to letting herself love and be loved, and somehow over the course of only 160 pages, Tig’s arc feels every bit as gradual as it needs to be.

Tig’s story is difficult at times, yet in a way, this is a comfort read, too. With the cute pajamas, the salt and vinegar potato chips, and the dollhouses, the desperately needed companion in Peter, the uncle and his husband who give their patience and their hearts, the chin cupping, the dog, just every detail here big and small made this a truly special and emotionally rich reading experience.

I received this book through a giveaway. show less