Well. Here we are again, and yet again, I've finished another book. This one actually has a funny story attached: I didn't want to read it. I got it from the library like 3 months ago and have used up all my renewals avoiding bringing it back. I was cleaning my room the other day and stacked up all library books needing to go back and was like "huh, I wonder why I didn't give it a chance." So I started reading it and it was magnificent.
Harper (named after Harper Lee, a bonus for my {fellow} lit nerds!) has just lost her seemingly perfect older sister June, who committed suicide just one week before graduating. Harper is frustrated by the pity she receives when she is trying to figure out everything. As the rebellious teenage wild-child of the family, always being compared to June (even after she's gone), she has a hard time coping with all that being an only child comes with now that she hasn't had time to adjust to it. Her best friend Laney tries to help, but no one can really "help" Harper get over what has happened to her already broken family. Her parents plan on splitting up June's ashes, and Harper just can't stand that. With the help of Jake Tolan, a boy with a serious music obsession and an outdated black rape van named Joplin, Harper, Laney, and Jake travel to California, the one place June always wanted to go. Their adventure brings a lot of heartfelt moments and also some very exciting and heartbreaking moments too. The whole journey is a roller coaster and it is so endearing to stick with.
The interesting thing about the whole plot line of religious doubts interwoven with suicide and what it's like for the people left behind is a conversation I just had with a friend of mine who was dealing with a similar situation. It was interesting to see how the characters, especially Harper and then Jake dealt with the enormous loss and dealing with how someone could be so seemingly happy and then do something so...overwhelming. The way Harrington brings June's legacy to life, it makes the way Harper, Jake, and even Laney struggle to cope with the loss of such a pure and good person. It seems to make the loss even more painful when Harrington uses the song "Let it Be" as a vessel for the emotion that Harper is feeling. It's an iconic song, so you can hear it in your ears as Harper breaks down and allows her sadness to overwhelm her for a while. I've come to realize that The Beatles have a song for everything...and I mean EVERYTHING.
I'm really glad I put off returning this book to the library, because I would have lost out on the chance to read a remarkable tale of love, loss, family, and most importantly healing from something so enormous. I definitely suggest this for a summer read (it's less sad than you think it is). Leave a comment if you do read it!
Teaser Quote: "He took his pain and turned it into something beautiful. Into something that people connect to. And that's what good music does. It speaks to you. It changes you." {About the song Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton--see below}
No comments:
Post a Comment