The Quick Cut: A teen girl's life gets up-ended when her dad reveals his ALS diagnosis. Emotions run amuck as they watch him fall apart while trying to make the best of his remaining time.
A Real Review:
Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
How do you deal when your sole parent is suddenly threatened with a future without them? Your entire support structure and safety net in case things go awry - quickly pulled out from underneath you. Security disappears and the life you imagined is gone in a wisp. This is the premise for the book centered around teenage girl Tobin and her father, Steve.
Tobin is a high school junior with big plans for her future in photography. She's focused on working on her portfolio for college applications to get into the school of her dreams (& that needed scholarship) when her dad reveals some devastating news: he has ALS. He's gone from a promising future as Steve the paramedic to a man counting down his well functioning days. How will Tobin deal with her without her only present parent? In what world can Steve appropriately prepare his daughter for a fatherless future?
This story about father and daughter is an emotional sledgehammer that I was sad to see end. Between the devastating news of Steve's diagnosis and the daughter who could never be ready at such a young age to be gone - many would think this would be a sad and serious read. The reality couldn't be farther from the truth! Most of this read is lighthearted, funny, and joyful reminders of what life is all about. Beyond that, the story also tells such a beautiful picture of what it's like to get through a trauma with a supportive community.
I loved the way that Tobin's love for photography is intertwined into the story with photographs throughout the chapters. Steve's passion for his daughter to have a bright future is shown through the big book of advice (which are used as chapter breaks). These two are so clearly a unit that watching the ALS deteriorate the life they have together can be touching and saddening at the same time.
Which brings me to my final point: the ALS journey is captured so elegantly that tge author clearly spent time to paint an accurate picture. You read and watch their lives go from Steve being slightly clumsier than usual to stuck in a wheelchair, angry that he's just about lost all control over his body. You see Steve go from happily cracking jokes to his daughter to frustrated shouts in public situations. The gamut of emotions happens right in front of you, along with the impact to Tobin.
I cannot recommend this book enough, with its elegant display of how to capture the ALS experience (for both family and the patient).
My rating: 5 out of 5
Comentários