Williams, Carol Lynch. Waiting.

Williams, Carol Lynch.  Waiting.    Simon & Schuster/ 352p  16.99 978-1-4424-4353-2 hs/adult          VG-BN Realistic Fiction    

London’s brother Zach has killed himself and the family is bereft.  Mother has alienated herself from London, Father is useless due to his own inner conflicts, and London finds herself alone and suffering.  Not only is she floundering at home, but she also finds her peers to be alienating her at school!  There is just too much pain surrounding her!  Williams uses a free verse style that allows the reader to feel London's ongoing turmoil.  Interestingly, Williams keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat for 178 pages, just getting into London’s head.  As London renews a relationship with Taylor, her brother’s best friend. she also finds solace in her new friendship with Jesse (Taylor's rival) and Lili.  The story of the suicide comes out very slowly, but this serves to add drama to the rising action.   Zach has hanged himself out of frustration over the loss of something huge; however, he was depressed before the inciting incident ever occurred.  London’s refusal to accept her mother’s blame and hatred leads her to self-awareness and healing, and that is the overall message that the reader gleans from this book. 

Small errors:  page 41, "his says hello" seems to be incorrect contextually.  On page 119, “The second I in calculus” is difficult to comprehend.           

Suicide-Fiction, Family Conflict-Fiction        --Martha Squaresky