Between Two Skies
-
-
3.9 • 8 Ratings
-
-
- $7.99
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
Bayou Perdu, a tiny fishing town way, way down in Louisiana, is home to sixteen-year-old Evangeline Riley. She has her best friends, Kendra and Danielle; her wise, beloved Mamere; and back-to-back titles in the under-sixteen fishing rodeo. But, dearest to her heart, she has the peace that only comes when she takes her skiff out to where there is nothing but sky and air and water and wings. It’s a small life, but it is Evangeline’s. And then the storm comes, and everything changes. Amid the chaos and pain and destruction comes Tru — a fellow refugee, a budding bluesman, a balm for Evangeline’s aching heart. Told in a strong, steady voice, with a keen sense of place and a vivid cast of characters, here is a novel that asks compelling questions about class and politics, exile and belonging, and the pain of being cast out of your home. But above all, this remarkable debut tells a gently woven love story, difficult to put down, impossible to forget.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
O'Sullivan's first novel, an elegantly written coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina, opens in the village of Bayou Perdu on the Gulf of Mexico on the eve of Evangeline Riley's 16th birthday. The third Evangeline in her family, she harbors a deep love for her rundown village and its surrounding waters. When Katrina approaches, Evangeline and her parents, older sister, and Cajun grandmother evacuate, ending up in Atlanta, where her Aunt Cel sets them up with an apartment and enrolls the sisters in school. The setting is a far cry from Bayou Perdu, where Evangeline's mother ran a diner and her father was a shrimper; inevitable family tensions arise, but Evangeline finds friendship, romance, and a nurturing school counselor. While the story is somewhat predictable, O'Sullivan creates suspense on several fronts and gives Evangeline a lyrical and endearing voice; as first love blossoms, "A shiver runs through me, the way an egret's feathers ripple slightly in the wind as it's about to take flight." Ages 12 up.)
