Abstract
Reviewed by: Far Away by Lisa Graff Karen Coats Graff, Lisa Far Away. Philomel, 2019 [272p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-5247-3859-4 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-5247-3860-0 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 5-7 CJ lives her life on the road with her aunt Nic, a medium who tours the country giving shows to sellout crowds anxious to connect with their dead relatives and friends. Aunt Nic has always channeled CJ’s mom, who died when CJ was a baby, to let CJ know that her mother is watching over her. On her twelfth birthday, CJ learns that her mother is moving on to Far Away, a spirit realm where CJ’s aunt can’t reach her. Trying to find a way around this restriction, CJ discovers her mother is really alive, which means her aunt has been lying to her. Seasoned readers will spot the upshot of this familiar plot twist a mile away: Mom is flighty and opportunistic, while CJ’s aunt has provided CJ with the stability and love she needed. The story is told with vigor, but ultimately it never really rises above the cliché of the not-really-dead-parent plot, which normalizes a big hurtful lie for authorial convenience. The ultimate takeaway for CJ and readers seems to be that people will believe what they want whether it’s true or not, and as long as your motives for deceiving them provide comfort and/or get you what you want, then everything is all right. Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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