Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Once Was Lost (YA)


Once Was Lost. By Sara Zarr. 2009. [October 2009]. Little, Brown. 224 pages.

The whole world is wilting. Shriveling. Giving up. Dying. Maybe not the whole world. Somewhere, I guess, it's not ninety-one degrees at four in the morning. I would like to be in that place. I would like to be somewhere, anywhere, that life feels possible and not smothered under a layer of heat and hopelessness.

Sam (not short for Samantha, but Samara) is a preacher's kid. And this summer is her worst yet. Her mom's in court-ordered rehab. Her dad is her dad. He's so caught up in being "Pastor Charlie" that he has forgotten that his family should come first. When he's not ignoring her, he's not listening to her. (Could this be one reason why her mom turned to alcohol?!) Sam's family is falling apart. It's more than her mom's drinking and her dad's absence. There are financial worries as well. Sam might have to switch schools. She just feels so alone, so depressed, so angry. This is a summer when doubts and questions and fears arise.

When Jody Shaw, a church kid, only thirteen, disappears, then Sam just sees it as one more thing gone wrong, one more reason to doubt God. As a community comes together for thirteen anxious days, she becomes closer to Jody's older brother, Nick. Both teens are struggling. For better or worse, this crisis is changing her as a person. Can she find her way? Can she find a way to believe in miracles again?

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have a copy of this book and am looking forward to reading it this year. I like the cover.

Unknown said...

This book sounds so good. I'd love to read it. You always have the best books first!

Christina said...

sounds interesting. I'll try and get it from the library.

Jenn said...

Oh my gosh, I absolutely loved this book! It was wonderful.

Paige Y. said...

I loved this book so much that I chose it for our teacher book club for the month of February. I think it's got some really interesting things to talk about.

Kristi said...

I've loved all of Sara Zarr's book but this one was especially good, I think.

Mandy said...

Once again, I loved it!! Thanks!

Mandy said...

Another good one!! Thanks again!