Something Like Breathing

December 15, 2018
A curious, sometimes-comic tale of female friendship set on a remote Scottish island fuses the bizarre, the banal, and the miraculous.In her debut novel, English poet and short-story writer Readman explores the contrasting perspectives of two teenagers whose uneasy relationship as friends and neighbors begins when Lorrie Wilson and her family return to live on the island where her grandfather runs a whisky distillery. The next-door cottage is inhabited by widowed Bunny Tyler and her daughter, Sylvie, a shy, sealed-up child who is as unpopular at school as Lorrie is quickly popular. Set first in 1957 and then 1960, Readman's quirky story happily evokes the texture of daily life in a distant place and era--Tupperware boxes, biscuit barrels, Mario Lanza on the radio, Domestic Science classes, and portable record players. In this world, Lorrie tends toward the predictable, finding a new, more glamorous friend called Blair and beginning to experiment with boys. Sylvie, meanwhile, retains her oddness, wearing shapeless, ugly clothes and refusing to kiss a boy who, surprisingly, is attracted to her. Her secret and Bunny's smotheringly repressive response to it contrast with Lorrie's warmer but still mildly peculiar household, from which her father disappears for several days, then returns without shoes or car, having given them away to needier folk. Odd and slightly out-of-kilter, Readman's narrative has an essential deadpan charm, dotted with striking, sideways observations, yet her inventive premise, once launched, seems to run short of ideas as to where it might go. Nevertheless, and despite its simplicity, the story lends itself to multiple layers of interpretation and metaphor--the limits of friendship; mythmaking; the unavoidable exploration of self--and ends with a breezy admission of life's opacity.An offbeat, enigmatic parable of otherness and attachment, with a style to match.

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February 1, 2019

Gr 7-10-This debut novel unfolds in 1950s Scotland, weaving together mystery and magical realism surrounding two young girls on a remote island. Lorrie's family moved from England to help her aging grandfather, Grumps, in the family whiskey distillery. Lorrie is immediately intrigued by her shy next-door neighbor, Sylvie, whose life seems fairly uneventful due to her mother's extreme rules. Sylvie is fascinated by kisses, keeping a secret scrapbook from her protective, prying mother. An unlikely friendship between the two young girls develops, providing a bit of happiness for each, though their families are far from happy. As Lorrie and Sylvie spend more time together, it becomes apparent that Sylvie and her mother are hiding a secret. Strange occurrences like Lorrie's father's disappearance and a miraculous healing of a young boy involved in an accident leave Lorrie and the town wondering about the friendly yet strange Sylvie. Readers will enjoy the unique plot and vividly drawn characters of this atmospheric, coming-of-age story, though pacing is slow at times. VERDICT A good choice for large collections.-Laura Jones, Argos Community Schools, IN

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2019
Lorrie is miserable when her family suddenly moves to the remote Scottish island where her grandfather runs a distillery. She befriends Sylvie, the strange, shy girl next door, but that only makes it marginally better. There is something deeply unknowable about Sylvie, thanks in no small part to her Tupperware-obsessed, fiercely protective mother, Bunny. As their teens progress, Sylvie seems to be stuck in preadolescence, and Lorrie leaves her behind for more adventurous friends and dates with local boys. As Readman switches between the girls' stories, it slowly becomes clear what makes Sylvie an outcast: her kiss has mysterious healing powers, and Bunny's vigilance cannot stop small-town gossip. Meanwhile, Lorrie is noticing her parents' unsatisfying marriage and uncovering some not-quite-fleshed-out family secrets. Readman's debut novel paints a vivid picture of coming-of-age on that gloomy island in the 1950s, using distinct narrative voices to drive the well-paced revelations. The complicated, almost sisterly friendship between Lorrie and Sylvie will remind readers of Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend (2012), and the hint of magic will appeal to fans of Alice Hoffman's darker work.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)