In case y’all weren’t aware, I adore books. Love them with all my heart. I even hope to do something with books in my future, but who knows? Until then, I can only appreciate their beauty as a reader.
I didn’t want to make this blog solely a book blog, but I do want to include some element of books on my blog, and I can do that by having a sort of “spotlight” section where I just talk about books. This is not a review, and I was not paid to talk about this book (or any books talked about in the future), this is my own personal opinion on the books.
Last night, I couldn’t sleep, so I turned on my lamp and decided to read. Once I finished the last ten or so pages of the book I was reading, I picked up the next book in my mental queue.
Torn Away by Jennifer Brown
*description from front flap of the book*
I tried to call mom.
No connection.
Jersey Cameron has always loved a good storm. Watching the clouds roll in and the wind pick up. Smelling the electricity in the air. Dancing barefoot in the rain. She lives in the Midwest, after all, where the weather is sure to keep you guessing. Jersey knows what to do when the tornado sirens sound. But she never could have prepared for this.
I tried Ronnie. Same.
When her town is devastated by a tornado, Jersey loses everything. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she’s sent to live with relatives she hardly knows – family who might as well be strangers. In an unfamiliar place, can Jersey discover that even on the darkest of days, there are some things no tornado can destroy?
911. Nothing.
In this powerful and poignant novel, acclaimed author Jennifer Brown delivers a story of love, loss, hope, and survival.
I have nothing but positive words for anything Jennifer Brown puts into the world. When I read her first novel, Hate List, I was haunted by the beauty of her words for days after. The topics of her novels are exactly what I like to read. The dark contemporary theme, with a serious issue as the plot, I am in heaven. Add that to Jennifer Brown’s extreme talent for writing, and you have one of the best novels of the year, any year she has a new novel out.
Torn Away was just so beautiful. I stayed up for three hours last night reading this book, and then finished it after work today. Jersey’s story is heartbreaking, and I could feel my heart breaking with every description of her home, and the things that she lost. When Jersey talked about her little sister, I felt for her. I can only imagine what it would be like to be in her position. The descriptions were gorgeous and painted a picture in my mind more vivid than anything.
There is just something about the way that Jennifer Brown writes family relationships that is close to untouchable. It is poignant and extremely powerful. In all of her books, there are some pretty intricate family relationships, but they are written in such a way that you understand the emotions of the difficult situations, even if you haven’t experienced it. It flows wonderfully in a way that I cannot even describe.
Every year or so, I anxiously await the release of Jennifer Brown’s next book. I have read all of them, and I recommend them to everyone. It doesn’t matter what type of books you enjoy, you should read at least one of Jennifer Brown’s books. There is something for everyone. If you find yourself wondering what book to read next, I would highly, highly recommend Jennifer Brown.
5/5 stars
Also by Jennifer Brown; Hate List (published 2009), Bittersweet (published 2011), Perfect Escape (published 2012), Thousand Words (published 2013) and Say Something: A Hate List Novella (published 2014).
~Lydia
Thinking in Fragments 