There Will Come a Time

May 19, 2014
Seventeen-year-old Mark isn't the only person grieving the death of his twin sister, Grace, but he has difficulty looking beyond his own pain, guilt, and rage. In a novel about letting go and reconnecting with people, National Book Award finalist Arcos (Out of Reach) delves deeply into her protagonist's emotions and unnerving memory of the car accident that he alone survived. Now a "Twinless Twin," Mark mostly keeps to himself, but risks sharing some of his thoughts with Grace's best friend Hannah. After they discover Grace's list of "Top Five Things to Do This Year," they decide to accomplish the tasks in her honor, a process that pushes their physical limits and leads Mark to better understand his misplaced anger and his sister's secret desires and fears. Meanwhile, his involvement with an artistic group project at school helps him rekindle old passions and regain a sense of purpose. With insight into the various stages of grief and the irrational behaviors that can emerge as a result, the book offers an inspiring account of emotional healing. Ages 14âup. Agent: Kerry Sparks, Levine Greenberg Literary Agency.

A sad and sweet story about coming to terms with loss.When his twin sister, Grace, is killed in a car accident, gifted 17-year-old musician Mark is cut adrift. In an honest and contemplative first-person narrative that picks up a few months after her death, Mark tries to figure out how to function again in a world that no longer includes his other half. The relationships that remain-with his estranged mother, his beautiful neighbor, his quirky classmates at the arts magnet school he attends-are sorely tested by his tendency to emotionally shape-shift between ghost and porcupine, but they offer opportunities for him to practice processing his grief with the same persistence and concentration he brings to practicing his bass guitar. There can be no tidy Brady Bunch ending for Mark; his twin will always be missing, and the best he can hope for is to get himself "[o]n [the] way to happy." But inspired by a list of things Grace had hoped to accomplish during their senior year, he ventures out of his introspection to take a few risks and start living again, and in so doing, he achieves a measure of peace. Mark's ethnic identity-he and his family are Filipino-provides cultural texture for the tale.Readers need not have lost someone dear to appreciate Mark's odyssey, as Arcos' compelling and likable characters will draw them in. (Fiction. 12-18) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Mark's grief after the death of his twin sister, Grace, is so intense that he has trouble functioning. Aside from missing her desperately-if your twin dies, are you still a twin?, he wonders-he blames himself for choosing that route to drive, for not being able to avoid the car that hit theirs. The only thing that makes him feel better is visiting the bridge where she died, though he's at least self-aware enough to know that it isn't healthy. When Grace's best friend, Hanna, suggests that the two of them work together to complete Grace's list of things to do this year, which includes such terrifying entries as learning to surf and performing spoken word at a club, he agrees as a way to honor his sister. But his growing feelings for Hanna complicate matters, especially since he has a long way to go before he learns to forgive the other driver-or himself. The protagonist is of Filipino descent, though his culture is not a focal point of the narrative. Libraries looking to diversify their collections might want to pick this up, as will those looking for thoughtful, character-driven stories.-Stephanie Klose, School Library Journal

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2014
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* How does a 17-year-old reorient his life after his twin sister dies in the car he was driving? Sure, it was the other driver's fault, but nothing in Mark Santos' world makes sense anymore. His only comfort is revisiting the bridge where the accident occurred and contemplating what might have been. Hanna, Grace's best friend and their neighbor, encourages Mark to fulfill Grace's Top Five Things to Do This Year listincluding bungee jumping and learning to surffrom one of her private journals, and he reluctantly agrees as a way to honor Grace's memory. Meanwhile, Mark begins to experience new feelings for Hanna, but he's at a loss as how to deal with them, as his bigger problem is learning to forgive the driver of the other car, his estranged mother, and, most importantly, himself. This nuanced story presents a close study on how different people react to loss while posing many thorny questions about relationships. Mark is Filipino American, and another character is Korean American, offering diversity for those wishing to widen their lists. Give this book to anyone who wants a rock-solid, character-driven story of finding one's footing after a life-changing event.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)