Glass Girl

Every moment of our lives we make choices. Most we don’t even know we’re making, they’re so dull or routine or automatic. Some are beyond explanation – like my mom choosing Wyatt’s memory over Dad and me. This moment called me to choose between moving back to Pittsburg with her to make sure she survived or riding horses with Henry in Wyoming. Seemed straightforward on the surface. But what lurked under the surface could trip me up. Dad had made his choice. Mom had made hers. It was past time that I made one too.

Book: Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kurk, Birch House Press, 2013

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 16-20

Subjects: Loss, Grief, Parent Relationships, Friendship,

Summary: Life will never be the same. Wyatt is gone. And the Glass Girl is about to shatter at the loss. Meg watched her brother step in the path of an angry teenager and die for it. Now her family is moving from Pittsburg to Wyoming in hopes of finding a way to move on with their life, to somehow recover from their tragic lost. Meg tries to keep her brother’s life and death a secret in hopes of moving on. Her dad doesn’t talk about Wyatt either. Her mom has a different perspective though. She cherishes the memories of the one who is dead more than the relationships with those who are still alive. She doesn’t want to move on. So she leaves Meg and her father and moves back to Pittsburg, sinking further and further into depression until she is finally admitted to the hospital and starts receiving the treatment and help she needs. Meg is torn between trying to embrace the possibilities for living again and following her mom into the despair that holds her captive. She longs for hope, for courage, for mercy, for love. But she’s not sure where to find any of this, or if it is even possible to find it now that her brother is gone.

Notes:  This is a very intense story, showing a teenage girl wrestling with issues of murder, depression and the breaking apart of her family. She has always thought of herself as the fragile one, nicknamed Glass Girl by her brother. A new friend helps her see that rather than fragile, she’s strong. She sees the hurt and pain of others and responds to it, attempting to make a difference in the hurting world around her, even if just in small kindnesses shown. He also points her towards the one source she can truly find the hope, courage, mercy and love she needs – God. The spiritual elements tend to be kind of small, not necessarily a constant presence. And sometimes it seems as though the character has to find the answers she needs within herself rather than from God. But the one character definitely points her towards God multiple times and is portrayed as having a very strong faith himself.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Lamentations 3:32 - Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I enjoyed the book and am eager to read the sequel!