The Silver Star

After a long, dry spell, I finished my second book this week. I am a fan of Jeanette Walls' first two books, so I made sure to get on the list at library as soon as I heard she had a new novel coming out.

I have to say that I liked this book, especially at the beginning. Walls' craft as a writer who breathes life into her characters drew me in from the first page. The protagonist, a sharp 12-year-old girl believes in the goodness of her (probably) bipolar mother, but throughout the course of the novel comes to a better understanding and then acceptance of the massive faults of her mom.

The only problem I have with the novel is that it seems to be of two minds. First it is a story of this family dynamic, but halfway through, when it needs some impetus, it turns into its own version of To Kill a Mockingbird - a coming-of-age story about injustice. I think that Walls' first two books, memoir and novel based on a true story gave her the plot structure, but  that she still needs to work through creating her own. I think she will, and I will happily read her next book whenever it comes out.