Love, Aubrey

jbones - Suzanne LaFleur wrote the book, Love, Aubrey. Love, Aubrey is about an eleven year old girl named Aubrey who has gone through many tragic events in her short lifetime. She survives a car crash that kills her little sister, Savannah, and her father. Her mother, overwhelmed with grief abandons Aubrey unannounced. With the love of her grandmother and new friends she tries to deal with her grief, isolation, disappointment, and loss. I felt really inspired by the book Love, Aubrey because she shows that whatever hardships you go through, you can eventually get passed it with loved ones and good friends by your side. Aubrey is a great example of being brave because even though she lost two family members and her mother left her she did not just sit in bed all day and mope around. She did something with her life. This is a great example for people, that even though you go through a rough patch in your life you can still live a happy life, and that is the reason I love this book. This book is realistic fiction because all the events that took place have or could happen in real life. Many children in life have been in a car crash or been abandoned by a parent or guardian. I think the type of reader who would enjoy this book is a female between the ages of 9-14. I think this because the kids between this age will really appreciate how well written this book is. One type of external conflict Aubrey experiences is man vs. man because Aubrey fights with her mother for leaving her behind and abandoning her. Aubrey also has internal conflicts with herself because she is trying to get past her grief from the loss of her father and little sister.

June 29, 2009
LaFleur's moving debut offers a convincing first-person narration of a girl coping in the wake of tragedy. When 11-year-old Aubrey's mother drives away one morning, leaving her alone in their house, Aubrey resolutely takes care of herself for a week, buying canned food (and a pet fish) with birthday money and watching TV. After Aubrey's concerned grandmother arrives (Aubrey hasn't been answering the phone) and takes her home with her to Vermont, the devastating circumstances behind her mother's departure become clear: Aubrey's family has recently been in a car accident, in which both her father and little sister were killed. Aubrey grapples with her abandonment by displaying psychosomatic symptoms—she gets frequent bouts of nausea—and through symbolic gestures (she periodically composes letters to her sister's imaginary friend, which are interspersed throughout). With the support of a neighbor her age, her grandmother and a school counselor who encourages her to write letters to her family, Aubrey begins to accept her loss and to understand her mother's complex motivations for leaving. The relationships at the center of Aubrey's struggle—with her mother, grandmother and with herself—are fleshed out with honesty and sensitivity. Ages 9–14.