The Weight of a Thousand Feathers
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS TEEN & YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018
LONGLISTED FOR THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019
Angry, stirring and tender, this is a bold, questioning exploration of the lengths to which we'll go for the people we love. From the Costa Children's Book Award winning author of When Mr Dog Bites and The Bombs That Brought Us Together.
Bobby Seed has questions. What's another word for 'thesaurus'? How can I tell Bel I want her as my girl friend, not my girlfriend? How much pain is Mum in today? Has she taken her pills? And sometimes, secretly, Why us?
Bobby's little brother Danny has questions too. Will Bobby let him have Rice Krispies for dinner? And can he stay up late on the computer? And why won't Mum's stupid illness just GO AWAY?
But it's Mum's question for Bobby that could turn everything on its head. It's the Big One. The Unthinkable One. If Bobby agrees, he won't just be soothing her pain. He'll be helping to end it.
Would he? Could he?
Perfect for readers of Patrick Ness and Malorie Blackman.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Scottish teen Bobby Seed, 17, finds himself caring for both his 14-year-old brother, Dan, whose undiagnosed psychosocial condition leads to developmentally younger behavior, and his mother, whose advanced multiple sclerosis makes her dependent on Bobby for basic needs. Witty, upbeat conversations between mother and son do not disguise the anguish caused by the family's unplanned role reversals. An invitation to join a support group brings Bobby a welcome weekly respite as well as relationships with other teens who truly understand his predicament. Bobby's emotional challenges reach a crisis point when his mother asks him to help end her life. Through Bobby's conversational narrative voice ("Ever want to piss someone off? Tell them you understand their pain: that'll work a treat") peppered with snippets of poetry, Conaghan (The Bombs that Brought Us Together) deftly manages his heavy subject matter, conveying both the particular conundrums caused by Bobby's atypical responsibilities and more predictable teenage challenges regarding sexual identity, friendships, and experimentation. This illuminating, thought-provoking novel offers a compassionate exploration of the weighty responsibilities that one teenage caregiver faces. Ages 14 up. (Feb.)
