Carrie Mac

I really loved this book! I listed it as "horror" under the genres (alongside sci fi and others) because of the obvious reasons, but I really had to think about it, as there were relatively few moments in which I really felt the true sense of dread characteristic of that genre. (Truly, the few moments of fade-to-black nebulous intimacy made me twitch because horror tropes dictate that characters who have sex die. But Eira and Soren were sheltered and certainly never saw a horror flick, so I show more suppose they wouldn't have known.)

There were so many things to love about this book, starting with the way the Fundamentalist Doomsday Prepper family from which the twins came turned out to be a bit more complex than presented at first (for one, that the mother knew her twins were queer, that they were leaving, and that she disagreed at least a little with her husband's dogmaticism) and the way the author didn't shy away from the occasional unrealistic surprise in order to present something believable but more dark. Coincidences do happen, after all.

Also, to reiterate, I appreciated quite a bit that in a plot where teenagers are being forced to be adults by virtue of the catastrophe, the book itself never went "adult." We saw Eira feeling physical attraction, and we saw Soren on the receiving end of an explicit homophobic remark, but that was as far as we went, which makes this book once I can hand to a broader audience than I could have if it had been more "spicy." show less

“You can say that you’re sorry. You can say that you’re going to stop. You can say that you’re going to get help. That’s what the hell you can say.”

I read this book a few months ago and I’m only just getting around to writing a review now but I first of all just wanted to say how special this book truly is.

One of the worsts things in this world is having to witness someone you love struggling with addiction or alcoholism.

Maeve was a character that I really saw myself in. I show more understood her anxiety. I understood her anger.

Her brothers and their silly antics made me giggle out loud multiple times. I truly just loved every single one of these characters and the story that came with them.

The fact that this book was also wlw on top of everything just made it just that much better. This book truly holds a special place in my heart. show less

3.5 stars

Early in the book, we learn that 5 children died in an avalanche. One adult also died. 8-year old Ruby was one of 2 children who made it out alive, along with one other adult.

Leading up to the avalanche, we follow Ruby, her mother Fiona, who has a mental illness, and Ruby’s father Gus, who is a former Olympic snowboarder and now runs a backcountry guiding company and was one of the adults on the trip when the avalanche happened. Fiona and Gus’s relationship is in bad shape and show more they fight a lot. Fiona often does not take her medication, so is quite shocking in some of the things she says and does with friends.

It took me a long time to get “into” the book. It was hard to follow for the first 1/3 to ½ of the book, as there were a lot of characters I had trouble keeping straight (who was who, and how are they “related”?). There were also a couple of shifts in time that I struggled with. Fiona was extremely unlikable; I guess I should try to have more sympathy, but it’s hard when she won’t take her mediation. But, the book really picked up in the second half as the avalanche hit, along with the aftermath. show less

This book was on a CBC book list and I suggested it to my YA book club because, first, it is YA and second, the author is Canadian. Sadly and for no apparent reason, my reading list is very light on Canadian authors and GLBT books. I found it an interesting read - Maeve, the main character, is very angsty (to say the least) - worry wart doesn't begin to describe her. Her family accepts her lesbian sexuality with no apparent hang ups and seem to deal fairly well with her deep anxiety issues show more and theymanage pretty well to keep her as level as possible. Salix, her summer crush, is also a very interesting character. Incredibly talented playing the violin, her blossoming relationship with the shy, insecure Maeve helps Maeve to get through the challenges of living with her substance-abusing ex-rock band father and his new family for six months while her mother is off on a junket to Haiti with a new boyfriend. Her step mother, Claire, was also a very good character. This is a book that will probably not appeal to many but I found it an interesting and enjoyable read. show less