Tennessee is where she has chosen to go to escape from everything for a while. She's joining a group of other teenagers to build a house for a family that lost theirs in a recent tornado. Even though Harper doesn't know the first thing about house building, she is determined to lose herself in the process, and hopefully do something good with her time. From the start everyone starts to pair off, but she's not interested in all that. She is interested in the family they are helping. The Wright family has been instrumental in helping others who have suffered from the recent disaster, and everyone in town agrees that it's time they are repaid for their kindness. Living in a funky motel, the teens work together (some better than others) toward creating something out of the chaos.
Little by little Harper begins to get closer to Teddy. It's his family they are building the house for, and he has a vested interest in the outcome. Maybe that is why he takes it so seriously, but Harper sees a maturity in him that the other kids don't seem to have. It's surviving what has come before, and continuing to grow that has given him this advantage ... that, and his amazing family standing behind him. The Wrights' are nothing like her family.
As hard as she tries, she can't quite run away from her broken family. Harper is still dealing with the recent divorce of her father and her step-mother, the only mother she has ever known. Even harder is the distance that has grown between her and her step-sister Tess. Almost overnight they went from being sisters to strangers, and Harper doesn't understand why. She is mad at everyone, angry and sad and broken.
Still, Tennessee is good. Hard, hot, sweaty, confusing ... and more fun than she expected. It's possible that Teddy even has deeper feelings for her. She begins to suspect after the "Pie Night", because seriously, only an amazing guy would bringing her a pie. (Dating tip: most girls appreciate baked goods, just like you)
"What I really want to say is that nothing lasts forever, no matter how solid it seems. I know this. I've always known this. This knowledge is with me like a smooth stone in my pocket. There are days I worry my fingers over the stone's surface at every waking moment and some days I forget that the stone is there at all.*Library Link*
Today, the stone weighs forty pounds .... Linus closes his eyes and puts his arms out at his sides. 'Look to this day. For it is life. The very life of life .... In its brief course lie all the verities and realities of your existence. The splendor of beauty, the bliss of growth, the glory of action. Today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope.' He opens his eyes and looks at me. 'It's an ancient Sufi text.' He smiles. 'My mantra,'" (Reinhardt pg. 170, 2008).
If you liked this, check out:
A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
Reinhardt, Dana. (2008). How to Build a House. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.
No comments:
Post a Comment