UP FROM THE BLUE BY SUSAN HENDERSON

Published:  2010

It's About:  A story told from the point of view of mother-to-be, Tillie Harris, with flash backs to her eighth year when something goes tragically wrong with her family.  Mainly, the story is set in the mid 1970's and true to the child psychology of the day, she is being told nothing about her mother's illness.  She cannot stop biting, nor pay attention in school nor hold still.  No one quite knows what to do with Tillie.  

I thought:  I loved this book!  This will be one of my favorites of this year.  It is perhaps because the book is set in the mid-1970's when the protagonist is eight.  This makes Tillie exactly my age and the story line is very accurate to the child rearing philosophies of that time.  Tillie's family is coming apart at the seams and the result is long lasting scars that she carries into her adulthood as she awaits the birth of her child.  It is a story of what ifs, should haves and could haves that for anyone who has experienced any sort of a chaotic childhood will completely understand.  

Excerpt:  "But what I desperately wanted to tell my mother, if she'd given me a chance to respond, is this:  it wasn't perfect, but I never needed perfect."

Recommendation:  In my humble opinion, it is a must read.