And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard the author of Paper Covers Rock is a story of overcoming tragedy and is full of good prose and in a few instances poetry which caused me do that thing, where you inhale and hold it for a second…because you want to pause for a moment to give yourself enough time to really absorb the words.
Though I enjoyed the story overall, I felt disconnected from the main character Emily Beam, as she tried to deal with her guilt over the role she played in the events that transpired in her school’s library. Events, which ultimately led her to be in Amerherst, the home town of her favorite poet Emily Dickinson. I have to wonder if the author didn’t choose to write in third person so that the reader would feel a separation from Emily, much like she felt from the world as she struggled to face the pivotal moments that shattered her life. It is through her poetry the reader really begins to feel for Emily, and I suppose that is the point.
If I had one issue with the plot it’s with regards to Emily Beam’s character mirroring to perfectly in a lot of ways that of Emily Dickinson. I however enjoyed some of the history regarding Emily Dickinson and the treat of both her poems and those written by her namesake.
And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
Published by Random House LLC on 28 Jan 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Stand Alone or Series: It’s a loner.
Source: NetGalley
Format: eARC
Buy on Amazon • Goodreads
Nicole Olea’s love language is communication. She does this best using her keyboard as a freelance copywriter and editor. Creative and resilient with high-level experience in social media management, content creation, and eCommerce marketing, Nicole Olea was a professional volunteer, sharing her skills with various non-profit organizations who paid her in hugs. For the last 20 years, she’s lived a quasi-nomadic life, moving across the country and the Atlantic with her active-duty husband and their three kids. She’s awkwardly stumbling toward her goal of becoming a saint. She’s got God-sized dreams and wants you to have them too!
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