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Loading... The Smell of Other People's Houses (original 2016; edition 2017)by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock (Author)
Work InformationThe Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock (2016)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. teen/adult fiction (coming of age, historical Alaska 1959-1970) I would classify this as more of an adult story than teen--the narrators are teenagers, but there's little to do with school or the usual angsty topics like boyfriends and more to do with living in, or escaping, homes with varying levels of stability. Though the cliff-hanger of Sam's falling off the ferry is left dangling for SEVERAL CHAPTERS before the story winds back over to his rescue, all the characters' threads weave together nicely and all ends happily, with the teens all finding stable homes, new friends, and happy endings. Parental notes: I don't remember any swearing, but one teen gets pregnant (by a boy who turns out to be a jerk) and is sent away to have her baby at a convent (the adoptive family seems nice and reminds the teen of the family she used to have before her dad died in a plane crash and her mom was sent away for mental health reasons). There is kissing but nothing explicit and an abusive father who molests one of the teens (but not explicitly). Just past the intriguing title of this novel, you find a charming tale narrated by four teenagers whose lives become entwined as they face unique challenges of living in Alaska in the 1970s. Ruth, Alyce, Dora, and Hank navigate friendship, love, loss, abuse, isolation, and dreams for a better future as they come to find that “you don’t have to be blood to be family.” no reviews | add a review
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"Growing up in Alaska in the 1970s isn't like growing up anywhere else: Don't think life is going to be easy. Know your place. And never talk about yourself. Four vivid voices tell intertwining stories of hardship, tragedy, wild luck, and salvation"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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I restarted this book 5 times and still can't remember any of the characters names. Time to shuffle on outta here I reckon.