Just Like Fate

When her beloved grandmother suffers a massive stroke and ends up in the hospital, high school junior Caroline Cabot's world falls apart. Gram was her closest friend and mentor during Caroline's parents' acrimonious divorce. When Gram dies, Caroline is forced to confront her grief, her alienation from her family and some difficult choices in the relationship arena. In an ambitious narrative device, the book juggles two alternating plots, following a prefatory "Before" section. Chapters titled "Stay" are based on the premise that Caroline chooses to remain with her grandmother in the hospital and hears her dying words of love for her granddaughter; in those titled "Go," Caroline succumbs to her friends' pressure to go to a party, thus missing the moment when Gram dies. Throughout the book, the consequences of these decisions are revealed, and both lead to the same cathartic epilogue. Although the dual narrative feels labored at times, and the moral message is not always clear, the authenticity of Caroline's feelings and the real-world dilemmas she faces make her story one younger teens can easily relate to. An unusual and intriguing meditation on freedom of choice. (Fiction. 12-16) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-One fateful evening, while visiting her dying grandmother in the hospital, Caroline Cabot feels a need to get out, to escape, to have a different kind of life. In that moment, her best friend encourages her to take a break from the sadness and head to a party. At this point, the book divides into two separate stories: in one, Caroline goes to the party and misses the last moments of her grandmother's life; and in the other, she stays with her family and receives her grandmother's farewell message. Caroline's relationships all depend on that moment: reconnection with a distant father, bonding with an angry sister, the spark felt after a new encounter, and even her virginity are all at stake. As she struggles with the grief she feels after her grandmother's death, the two possible scenarios explore how bonds are created and broken and how one decision can have a domino effect on one's life. Though some readers might become confused by the alternating tracks, both story lines are compelling and merge tidily in a satisfying ending in which Caroline's better decisions prevail. Recommended for fans of Sara Zarr, Elizabeth Scott, and Maureen Johnson.-Nora G. Murphy, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, LaCanada-Flintridge, CA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.