"Dr. Lazard said our kidneys hold and process the hurt and the pain in our lives. Nothing can protect the kidneys when a 15-year-old girl loses her mother on the New York City subway on a Monday night while preparing a surprise dinner for her."
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Hallucination by Kim Green BookLogix
book review by Wendy Strain
The shock of suddenly losing a mother while still a young teenager is poignantly captured in the words used to describe the night and the days following Marigold Blackmon's death. Young Ava is left to be raised by a father who does not understand her, cannot control his own inner rage, and yet honors the wishes of her lost mother and loves his daughter as much as he can. Surviving seems the best she can do until she finally meets a man who makes her want to live the family dream. What she doesn't anticipate is having to face yet another life-changing event when she manifests symptoms of lupus. How this affects her life, her relationships with her family, and her own sense of self comprise the action of the story.
The text of this novel is so beautifully presented that the reader easily feels the shock of death and the sorrow of loss. Each time Ava, later to be known as Morgan, begins to make sense of her world, something happens to throw her off balance in a perfect reflection of real life. However, nothing is as big as the lupus diagnosis when Morgan finally learns how to actually take control of herself and her future. Everything about the psychology of the main character as she deals with lupus is believable and educational for anyone desiring to know more about this too-common but poorly understood condition. The lyrical phrasing coupled with deeply introspective growth create a soul-moving story of courage, love, and hope.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review