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Title details for Unravel by Sharon Jennings - Available

Unravel

by Sharon Jennings
ebook
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As Rebecca is about to turn twelve years old, she begins to realize that Joe, her father, is not the most supportive of parents. Rather he seems to want to turn her away from friendships, from involvement with others, from anyone who might intrude on their two lives. When it seems their affectionate neighbour is becoming too inquisitive, Joe abruptly arranges for himself and Rebecca to make a quick move to another place in the city. And as she reflects on things, Rebecca realizes that this is what has always happened. Also, she doesn't attend school, but is doing what her dad calls home-schooling. When she asks him about her family — grandparents and others — turns out that they're all dead. For various reasons, as Joe explains. That means the two of them are alone in the world, making their own way. Or, perhaps, allowing Joe to make whatever moves he wishes to without consulting anyone else — least of all, his daughter.

Life changes for Rebecca the day that she spots a new neighbour in their latest apartment building — someone who, though she seems a little fragile, has an aura of elegance about her and who also takes an immediate interest in the girl. As Rebecca gets to know Phoebe better, she also is able to look at Joe with different eyes — and, in the end, she realizes that her father is not at all who he has presented himself as.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 23, 2021

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780889956575

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780889956575
      • File size: 622 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      February 15, 2021
      A girl slowly realizes that life with her father is not as it should be. In this novel narrated in the first person, Rebecca relates the strangeness of life with her father, whom she refers to by name as Joe. They frequently move around Toronto; she shops in thrift stores, only buying the baggy clothes that he insists upon; she has never attended school; and she rarely has friends her own age. Joe, who carries no government ID, controls her life, not even allowing a news photographer to take her picture at a book festival. When Rebecca asks about their family, he tells her that they are all dead. Rebecca, whose voice is precise and slightly formal, finds kinship in characters from literature. Inspired by her reading of Harriet the Spy, she eavesdrops and, � la Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire, she appreciates the kindness of her adult neighbors--especially Mrs. Martino, the motherly Italian neighbor who loves to cook, and Phoebe, a reclusive movie star who encourages her to write down her story. Slowly, memories surface: Recollections of a bunny and a fascination with Audrey Hepburn lead her to ask questions that Joe will not answer. It is Rebecca's initiative that ultimately leads to the resolution of this absorbing tale. This short novel deals with family dysfunction through the eyes of a young person through a central mystery that gradually unfurls. Readers will rally behind the story's determined and courageous protagonist. (recipe, author interview) (Fiction. 12-14)

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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