Waiting to Forget by Sheila Kelly Welch
Source: Book tour from Teen Book Scene
My Review:
Ms. Welch spins an intriguing story in Waiting to Forget. It is like a train wreck reading about these children and all they went through, but I know that I for one could not look away. TJ and Angela evoke sympathy, and I couldn't help but be invested in their stories.
Sometimes the jumps in narrative from one time in the story to another can be jarring and confusing, but it was done very well in Waiting to Forget. The use of TJ's life book-pictures and drawings to help him remember his life before adoption assist in bringing back memories, and then it ties well back into the plot when he comes to the present.
TJ and Angela are so strong and resilient, it makes me love them even more. I can see how they grow, how they were hurt, and ultimately how they heal and accept a new and better life, and it blossoms out in the story.
Ms. Welch seems to make everything very realistic, from their emotions to the details of how the world around them might see them--from teachers, social workers, momma, the boyfriends, and the world outside. But I didn't feel like I was in the outside world, I felt like I was given a front seat to their life.
If you like realistic, contemporary, or tough issues (or even if you don't but the description intrigues you) I recommend you pick up Waiting to Forget and give it a try.
I'd love to hear what you think of the book and/or my review.
T.J. has always looked out for his little sister, Angela. When Momma used to go out and leave them home alone, he'd lock the door so they'd be safe, keep Angela entertained, and get out the cereal and milk for her. When Momma's boyfriend got angry at them, he'd try to protect Angela. Later, at their foster homes, T.J. was the only one who knew how to coax his little sister out of her bad moods. The only one who understood why she made origami paper cranes and threw them out the window. But now T.J. is sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, wondering if Angela, unconscious after a fall, will ever wake up. Wondering, too, if he will ever feel at home with his and Angela's new parents—Marlene, who insists on calling him Timothy, and Dan, who seems to want a different son.Going back and forth between Now and Then, weaving the uncertain present with the painful past, T.J.'s story unfolds, and with the unfolding comes a new understanding of how to move forward.Published in US: Oct 1 2011
Source: Book tour from Teen Book Scene
Ms. Welch spins an intriguing story in Waiting to Forget. It is like a train wreck reading about these children and all they went through, but I know that I for one could not look away. TJ and Angela evoke sympathy, and I couldn't help but be invested in their stories.
Sometimes the jumps in narrative from one time in the story to another can be jarring and confusing, but it was done very well in Waiting to Forget. The use of TJ's life book-pictures and drawings to help him remember his life before adoption assist in bringing back memories, and then it ties well back into the plot when he comes to the present.
TJ and Angela are so strong and resilient, it makes me love them even more. I can see how they grow, how they were hurt, and ultimately how they heal and accept a new and better life, and it blossoms out in the story.
Ms. Welch seems to make everything very realistic, from their emotions to the details of how the world around them might see them--from teachers, social workers, momma, the boyfriends, and the world outside. But I didn't feel like I was in the outside world, I felt like I was given a front seat to their life.
If you like realistic, contemporary, or tough issues (or even if you don't but the description intrigues you) I recommend you pick up Waiting to Forget and give it a try.
I'd love to hear what you think of the book and/or my review.
Thanks so much for your very perceptive review, Brandi!
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