Miles from Ordinary: Empathy with a Little Horror for Good Measure
by Erin Cowles
When
October comes around, I like to use my reading selections to get into
the Halloween spirit. The problem is that I am a monumental wimp. The
commercials for “The X-Files” gave me nightmares when I
was young. I usually opt for classic horror stories like
Frankenstein, which are usually more psychological than scary.
Since
those don't count as YA literature, I'm going to profile a novel I
read a few months back that gave me the creeps: Carol Lynch Williams'
Miles
from Ordinary.
Again, remember that I am a wimp, so you aren't going to get any
Stephen King reviews out of me. This is as creepy as I get.
Lacey
carries a heavy load. At age 13, her support network has fallen
apart. Her father is not in the picture, her mother is extremely
mentally unstable, and the aunt that was keeping everything under
control was forced to move.
Lacey
has taken on the role of caring for her mother, and she lives a
lonely life because she feels she has to keep others at a distance to
protect her mother. They are out of money, and her mother's delusions
about Lacey's dead grandfather haunting and controlling them are
getting worse.
Although
the story is fleshed out with flashbacks, this novel covers a 24-hour
period in Lacey's life where she tries to take control of her
circumstances. She gets a job for her mother at the Winn-Dixie,
actually makes a friend on the bus, and heads to the library for her
own volunteer position. She's optimistic that her life has taken a
positive turn. But when she leaves work and discovers that her mother
is missing, everything falls apart in a terrifying and suspenseful
way.
I
know that's a vague statement that doesn't sound terrifying or
suspenseful at all, but I can't get more detailed without giving
spoilers.
The
best part of this book was the narrator's voice. Williams gave Lacey
a strong and distinct voice, and it was memorable and absolutely
convincing. Her words felt the way my brain worked when I was a young
teenager — hopeful, sensitive, and vulnerable. Some readers
argue that the voice is more middle grade than YA, but I thought it
was written so powerfully that the small discrepancy doesn't take
anything away from the story.
Its
other great strength is that Williams can demonstrate the power of an
empathetic friend while still allowing the main character to solve
her own problems. Lacey's situation makes her a social outcast, but
her classmate's choice to see her strength and ignore her
circumstances gives Lacey the courage to face the ugliness in her
life.
This
was a gutsy and empathetic book. Although its ending is hopeful, it
is also rather disturbing, so don't pick this one up unless you can
handle your literature a little dark.
Read
this book if...
You're
less wimpy than I am.
You
want a novel that can create suspense and horror without leaning
heavily on monsters and the paranormal to provide it.
You
want to gain empathy for people that have fallen through the cracks,
and witness how much reaching out to them can mean.
Erin
Cowles is a mother of two, living in the Washington D.C. suburbs.
Before motherhood, she used her masters in library and information
science in a law firm library. Now she uses it to find good books for
her family at her local public library. She teaches part time for a
SAT prep company, where she enjoys the challenge of making rather
dull subject matter interesting and making college a reality for her
students. During women's history month, she profiles Mormon women
that inspire her at ldswomenshistory.blogspot.com.
Erin
currently serves as a counselor in her ward's primary
presidency.