The girl who fell from the sky

Powerful. A coming of age story, or rather, two intertwined ones, set amongst some powerfully unhappy families. Nearly every character was flawed, but in an utterly believable way.

The book itself was heartbreaking, and a quick read. We discussed the challenges of being biracial, and whether those challenges still exist in this day and age. (Mayhap there was a reason that the author set the novel in the 80's.) The structure of the book, bouncing from point of view to point of view, worked well, letting the reader feel each main character's motivation. It also works as a mystery, keeping you reading to find out, a) What actually happened on the roof? Did Nella really do it? and b) If she did, how did she reach the point where she could?

The second time round for me, and this group didn't like it nearly as well as the other group. As a matter of fact, everyone hated it, except for me. The characters were underdeveloped, the writing was choppy, the ending contrived. Makes me glad that I didn't suggest the book, otherwise everyone would have blamed me. As it was people wondered why this book got chosen for Everybody Reads. It did spark discussion though, of racism and why we feel the need to pigeonhole people. Bruce reminisced of all of the places in NE that were shared by his childhood and the book. And everyone thought back on the mixed couples that they'd known, even before such marriages were legal.

One thing about reading a book set in the city you live in: you can get a better picture of what a life was like, knowing the neighborhoods and businesses the author talks about. I've seen it done poorly - clearly the author had a romanticized version of the city, but had never been there, instead relying on maps and whatever information Wikipedia might provide. But there was a very real feeling that I could walk to the places that the author wrote about, and run into Rachel, the lead character, or her grandmother, or any of the other people I met in this book.

It definitely gave me a sense of perspective. I've used my sociological imagination before, to try and put myself in the place of others, but this reached so far beyond what I'd imagined. Rachel lives in the in-between, and Durrow does a wonderful job illustrating the uncomfortable place that the in-between is.

I HIGHLY recommend.