How to Save a Life (Sara Zarr)

How to Save a Life, by Sara Zarr (2011)

Scenario: Jill’s pretty sure her mom’s reaction to Jill’s dad’s death is not exactly normal. Confronted with grief, Jill’s mom opts to adopt a baby. Mandy’s on her way there, pregnant and scared, leaving behind an awful home life. When Jill and Mandy meet, two girls from very different backgrounds, tensions explode.

Pros:

  • Mandy’s pretty different from the normal YA heroine/narrator, and I loved getting her perspective. She’s not the usual witty, smart, bookish protagonist, but she’s still perceptive and deeply brave.
  • Flannery O’Connor epigraph (and title, I guess) shout-out! Love.
  • Romance that isn’t at the center of the story! Sweet and engaging in its own right, but not overshadowing Jill and Mandy’s response to one another.

Cons:

  • Grieving girl book. But Jill’s rage is different from some of the other responses to grief I’ve encountered in all these other books, and it’s not the only focus, either.
  • Both girls are a little too aware of the reasons they’re handling the situation the way they are. We have some reason for believing Jill might understand her motives, as she mentions a psychology course, but Mandy seems to grasp her underlying motivation much better than would be normal for a 17-year-old, I suspect.

Bottom Line: Highly recommend for fangirls of realistic YA fiction.

2 Notes/ Hide

  1. thecardiganlibrarian posted this