At the age of 47, Ginny is on a plane to visit her mother, whom she has not seen or spoken to in 35 years. The trip is initiated by Ginny's sister Sharla, who is sick and wants to see her mother "just in case" she does not get better. On her trip, Ginny looks back on childhood memories when she was just 12 years old and reveals the dramatic events that lead to the separation of her mother from the family. In this short, simple and honest story we find out how Ginny and Sharla's predictable secure world changes when a mysterious and exotic new neighbor moves in next door, befriending Ginny's mother. The girls are forced to deal with changes they cannot understand. Will their visit as mature adults help them come to terms with what happened years ago? Could they still love their mother after so long? The conclusion to this story will reveal how our perceptions are often dictated by our own needs and what we want to see. This story may be especially appealing to those who have a complicated relationship with their mothers!
Symbolic quotes from book: Page 156 & 157,
Ginny's friend Wayne has put her favorite ring into a box for a magic trick and says "Sometimes you see something that isn't there, and sometimes...you don't see something that is there."
Ginny is questioning how her friend Wayne performs the magic trick and he tells her, "It's easy. You know why? Because people want to be fooled."
Excerpt of Interest: Second paragraph on page 242,
Ginny's thoughts after watching a woman trying to walk a dog that was pulling her down the road, "I was a bit surprised by my strong reaction: for one thing, it was none of my business. But I think my response was tied up with things like what I just remembered, that feeling of contempt you have for someone you see is not in control when you want them to be."
"It's funny how, oftentimes, the people you love the most are given the least margin of error. Funny too, the places where the anger ends up surfacing".
Recommended for grades 11-12.
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