Love, Aubrey
Suzanne LaFleur
2009
This is an amazing book and I commend LaFleur for her very first writing attempt!! It is melodical and free-flowing! I loved Aubrey’s character so much the very first chapter brought me to tears! Be forewarned…the rest of the book will made you cry also because Aubrey suffers such tragedy!
Aubrey is an 11-year-old, just trying to keep it together. at home, by herself. We gather from her thoughts why her home is empty. Her father and younger sister, Savannah have died fairly recently and her mother, numb with grief, has taken off somewhere. Aubrey is brave and determined to make it on her own. When she is down to her last food items, she heads to the local grocey store to buy what she needs. When the phone rings to much, bringing unwanted help, she stops answering the phone.
Thankfully, the door opens one day and Gram comes walking through the door to save the day! She’s an amazing Grandma and she gave me many flashbacks of my own motherly grandmother. She folds Aubrey into her arms and takes her back to Vermont with her. Gram helps Aubrey begin a long-overdue healing process, using little chore lists to get her moving. As fate would have it I lovely young family, with an 11-year-old daughter, Bridget live next door and through their friendship and a counselor at school, Aubrey moves forward, past her grief.
I don’t want to give much away as it is full of sweet surprises but here is one of my favorite quotes:
I listened to the rain, which was a bad idea because my stomach started feeling funny and I felt like there was oatmeal stuck in my throat. I pulled a pillow to my chest and held it tight. Bridget put the photos down, and put her hands in my hair, and on my back. ‘It’s okay,’ she said. That didn’t work. Words never helped anything. I pressed my eyes closed and remembered that other rainy day, when words didn’t help us…Daddy, why didn’t you just say it a little bit louder? Why? Why didn’t you make us all stop?’ Bridget didn’t say anthing as I started to cry. She just listened, and kept petting me. ‘I’m glad youre here,’ Bridget said. I liked Bridget, but I couldn’t agree. I should have been down in my own house in Virginia, with my own family. Then I thought I heard Bridget thinking. Bridget was thinking, Tell me, It’s okay, just tell me. And I thought back to her, No, Bridget, I can’t. p. 77
I would have loved a next-door neighbor friend like Bridget, understanding and full of compassion. LaFleur makes Aubrey’s feelings so palpable for me and the dialogue between characters as well as Aubrey’s thought process make this a treasure! I would love to see a companion book to unfold more of Aubrey’s story as she puts her life back together with her mother.
Click on Suzanne LaFleur’s website here.
Highly Recommended-Middle School
5/5 peaceful stars
Here’s my teasers:
