“It’s amazing how few words a person can get by with.”
Have you ever said something that embarrassed you so badly you want the ground to swallow you? This book examines the very extreme of that anxiety we’ve all felt, through the eyes of Elise. She’s previously been home-schooled, but now she’s at public school and it’s not going well. To cope, she does not speak. To anyone. She’s keeping a tally of words per day. Sometimes it’s 6, sometimes it’s 2. She’s trying to get down to zero, with the hopes that she will possibly just disappear. Then she discovers something that her mom has been keeping secret from her, for a very long time. And she doesn’t know what to do about it, or how to get the help she needs.
This book broke my heart. Goodreads indicates that it’s aimed at junior high readers, but damn it affected this 33 year old like you wouldn’t believe. The writing is beautiful, and Elise is so damaged yet so strong that you just want to give her a hug. Watching her find that strength takes the reader on an amazing journey.
“Sometimes when we feel lost, the universe sends a little help. Something or someone to guide us on our path.” She chuckles, her eyes gleaming. “And that can come in the most unexpected form.”
Also, for those of y’all who like a little magical realism in your fiction — Collins adds the perfect amount of that to Elise’s story. It really put the book over the top, in a good way.