A beautifully sad novel about a girl who loses her older sister in an accident. I especially enjoyed the audiobook, performed by Mamie Gummer, who really made me believe I was listening to the inner mind of a 13-year-old girl. ( )

This book is very well written. It's the perfect view of a family torn apart by grief that eventually brings them around again, into changed people.

Although I found it strange at first, I especially liked the dynamic between Aaron and Nico. I watched their attempt at trying to navigate through their grief together, fall into some sort of love-crush relationship, bonding over the death of Margaret. It sours when Nico realizes that Aaron is trying to turn her into Margaret, to get her back, in a way. Prose does an excellent job of making Aaron's physical attempts on Nico vivid and intense without being overly graphic or brutal. ( )

I listened to this book on Audio CD. I really liked this story. It was sad at times but showed the complexities of family very well. I would recommend. ( )

This was, actually, really depressing. ( )

I really wish I could give this 3 and a half stars. Maybe it's because I just finished The Fortress of Solitude, which is a pretty meaty read, but this feels just a little bit thin to me. I don't mean just length-wise, though it's pretty short. I didn't feel the weight of the subject matter the way I might have if the book had been executed a little differently. Having said that, it's not a bad little read, and there's a lot to like about it. Even if some of the "modern" references to things like email and MTV feel conspicuous, there are lots of other references that work for me--things that remind me of my own experiences with my own sister and during my own adolescence. At times, the dialogue feels forced, but when I remind myself of the main character's age--thirteen years--the awkwardness of certain passages of dialogue seems maybe a little appropriate. The first few and last few chapters are what make the book worthy of an extra 1/2 star. The writing in those chapters is more elegant and more gripping than it is in the middle of the book. For as little time as it takes to read this, I think it's worth it. ( )