Interrupted
A Life Beyond Words [Delete 'A' - MM]
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
The nightmares of caring for a terminally-ill mother have taken their toll on fourteen-year-old Allie Everly, and being orphaned then adopted and sent across the country during the Great Depression have nurtured the seeds of bitterness in her heart. After blaming her best friend, Sam, for her mother’s death, she is suddenly confronted by a new mother, a new family, and new circumstances. Time after time she rejects those who try to reach out to her, caught up in her own self-pity and longings. But when Sam appears four years later, Allie must confront not only who she has become, but a host of confusing emotions. After years of pushing people out, can Allie finally find forgiveness and comfort in God, and open her heart to the healing powers of love and family?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Coker makes an impressive debut she's only 15 in this Depression and WWII-era tale of Alcyone Everly, who is 14 when her mother dies of brain cancer. Allie is adopted by a woman in Maine, Beatrice Lovell, and vigorously resists her adoptive mother's kindnesses, clinging bitterly to the memory of her mother. The past re-enters her life in the form of Sam Carroll, an old friend from her childhood home whose aunt lives next door to Beatrice and Allie. Sam has always been sweet on Allie, and his reappearance stirs many unwanted and confusing emotions in her. World events seize the day as the U.S. gets caught up in WWII, altering everyone's lives. Coker writes an emotionally compelling and psychologically nuanced tale. The plot has some weak spots: Allie manages to overhear not one but two crucial incidents that give her unexpected information, and some of her character development late in the story is abrupt. But the historical context is an engaging narrative frame. Coker is one to watch. Ages 15 up.
