Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales.

There’s no monumental grief breakthrough, nor should there be: this is the realistic going on, day by day, after bereavement.Ĭhainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.Įvery four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Although Cedar's narration as a character of color is largely convincing, white is still the default for other characters unless otherwise specified. Despite indicating that Cedar bonds with Leo because they’re both outsiders-she as a biracial Chinese-American, he for vaguer reasons-an explanation for their friendship isn’t necessary. Details are careful and never extraneous there’s a reason it matters, at a certain moment, that “the milk was perfectly cold and the bananas not too ripe” in a bowl of cereal. Her relationship with Miles is stolid and understatedly touching. Ben was disabled (maybe autistic), and their relationship was sometimes difficult. Leo and Cedar research-and give unauthorized tours about-a long-dead, famous actress from the town Cedar’s pulled by that research because she knows, now, that things can disappear forever. As Cedar gets a job selling concessions at the Shakespeare festival, makes a friend named Leo, and finds herself and Miles obsessed with a morbid soap-opera arc on TV, Condie touches everything lightly but deftly with the family’s grief. It’s been a year since a drunk driver killed Cedar’s father and other little brother, Ben. Mom buys a summer house for herself, 12-year-old Cedar, and 8-year-old Miles in Iron Creek, where Mom grew up. A year after losing two family members, a girl spends the summer in a small town with a Shakespeare festival.

Summerlost by ally condie