Julie, the main character, has to be fashioned after someone because there is no way in this world that a story like this could be a purely fictional tale. Tragedy is the beginning middle and end of this girls life. From the formative pre-teen years when her mother left to the devastating early teen years when her father died of cancer this girls life is anything but peaches and cream. Beyond the storyline (which could be summed up rather quickly and would be one giant spoiler) the writing is mature and almost over the top descriptive. Across the entire text I can find unique descriptions of seemingly everyday occurrences. The language feels like Leaves of Grass meets As I Lay Dying and the same tones and voice seems to come through in a very feminine way. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the writing event though the content of the book isn't my typical genre I was enthralled by the wonderful imagery and the overwhelming tragedy of Julia's life. In parts the writing seems nostalgic but in a present tense sort of way almost as though the story is being written years after the events took place with the knowledge of the outcome and yet unflinching in the way it describes the events in present tense. You experience it through a lens of right now but in a way that keeps you guessing about the narrators (Julia) relationship to the timeline of the story. Has Julia grown up and is just telling the story from an incredibly accurate memory or is this a travel log that grows with each new struggle? It's a great way to experience a story like this.
I would recommend this book to the same type of people who would be reading all the books on Oprah's list (for all I know this is on her list). The end of the book is a cliff hanger...just so you know this is the first book in a series and the end is natural but very much incomplete leaving you eager to finish Julia's story.
