Review:The Girl Without Anyone by Kelli Deeth

Review:The Girl Without Anyone by Kelli Deeth

In the past six weeks I have read some fabulous books that are not new releases. But then, why do they have to be new? In addition to being beautifully written, all of these works feature strong women protagonists and a healthy dose of grit. If you're planning on taking a few books with you on vacation this summer, you might want to pick up one of these.

The following is the first of four books in this Late Spring Reads series:

The Girl Without Anyone by Kelli Deeth

Toronto-based author Kelli Deeth is another Canadian writer I have been told to watch for. The Girl Without Anyone (TGWA) is a 2001 collection of 11 connected stories about Leah, a young teen coming to terms with her parents' divorce and the challenging dynamic of her new life as her parents move on to new partners.

Many readers will relate to Leah's life growing up in a middle class suburb, struggling to fit in at a high school replete with drugs and alcohol, and searching for love from unsuitable people. In addition, our protagonist must contend with the fact that her parents are more focused on their own happiness than on that of their children.

In the end, Leah quits school to develop a talent that will bring her the attention she so desperately craves. Readers will feel as though they are revisiting their own awkward teenage years when many decisions are fraught with potentially life-changing consequences.

Highly realistic, TGWA is a great book for parents to remind them of just how difficult the teenage age years can be, even when their kids have everything they need on a material level.

Tomorrow's review is of Daniel Woodrell's the Winter's Bone.


Other reviews:
Incendiary by Chris Cleave
Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
Going Down Swinging by Billie Livingston
Drive-By Saviours by Chris Benjamin
Interview with Author Billie Livingston
Review: The Trouble with Marlene by Billie Livingston
Review: Greedy Little Eyes by Billie Livingston
Interview: Christy Ann Conlin Author of Dead Time
Review of Girls' History and Culture Reader: The Twentieth Century
Dead Time by Christy Ann Conlin
The Social Media Survival Guide by Deltina Hay
The Birth House by Ami McKay
The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis
The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou
Unless by Carol Shields
Essex County by Jeff Lemire

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