Take Me With You When You Go, by David Levithan and Jennifer Niven
This book is an epistolary - which in this case means it is formed entirely of emails - a fact which, initially, put me off picking up the book. I'm not necessarily sure why it put me off, since every epistolary I've read has been wildly successful and engaging. Alas, I gave in and I really enjoyed it.
The emails are between siblings Bea and Ezra, after Bea runs away from home. Being a few years older than Ezra, Bea feels she's ready to escape their disastrous and terrifying home life... and leaves Ezra behind. About which Ezra is livid. He's stuck behind with their dangerous step father and clueless mother; stuck with Bea's ex-boyfriend, the latter of whom believes Ezra knows more about Bea's whereabouts than he's letting on.
And to be fair, he does. Nobody knows that Ezra is in touch with Bea, nor does anyone know that she has gone looking for their biological father. It's all a bit of a mess, really.
This story definitely had me on the edge of my seat at times, willing these helpless teenagers to find sanctuary, acceptance, and contentment, despite the awful adults surrounding them. It gets you thinking about connection and identity; about how distant those things may feel if you don't know where you came from, or who loves you. Who wants you. Who lied about those things.
A solid young adult drama, with a real depth and gripping plot development. There's a lot to learn from these young characters, even as an adult.
Sian
