
Reach for this book when your teen is struggling with the isolation of a family crisis, particularly the long-term illness or hospitalization of a parent. This verse memoir captures the delicate balance of trying to maintain a normal high school life (crushes, schoolwork, and friendships) while carrying the heavy secret of a father's health struggles and subsequent absence. It is an honest, poignant look at how we use creativity and writing to process things that feel too big for words. Parents will appreciate the way it validates the teen experience of 'keeping it together' while feeling like everything is falling apart. It is a realistic, secular, and ultimately resilient portrayal of family love and self-discovery for ages 12 and up.
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Sign in to write a reviewBrief mentions of medication related to the father's treatment.
The book deals directly with parental illness and the emotional fallout of a parent being 'gone' while still alive. The approach is realistic and secular, avoiding easy answers in favor of emotional honesty. The resolution is hopeful but grounded in the reality that some situations don't have a simple fix.
A 14-year-old girl who feels like she has to be the 'strong one' at home and is looking for a way to express her complicated feelings about her parents.
Parents should be aware that the book deals with the clinical realities of illness and the emotional strain on a marriage. It can be read cold, but it may prompt questions about the family's own history with health or secrets. A parent might notice their child becoming unusually withdrawn or over-performing at school to compensate for stress at home, or perhaps they have heard their child express guilt over wanting a 'normal' life during a family crisis.
Younger teens will focus on the 'fitting in' and friendship aspects, while older teens will deeply resonate with the themes of identity formation and the realization that parents are fallible humans.
Unlike many memoirs about grief, this focuses on the 'ambiguous loss' of a parent who is physically present but emotionally or functionally absent due to illness, told through sharp, accessible verse.
This memoir in verse follows Jiordan during her adolescent years as she navigates the complexities of her father’s chronic illness and his eventual disappearance from the family home into a healthcare facility. The narrative balances the mundane experiences of a teenage girl (academic pressure, social dynamics) with the profound internal shift caused by family trauma.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.