209 – Up From the Blue

Finished Up From the Blue by Susan Henderson.  I received this from the publisher at BEA.  The book will be released September 21.

There are two parts to this story–the first is about a woman who’s about to have her first child.  Her husband’s out of town and they’ve just moved into a new house (so recently that they haven’t unpacked).  It’s not a good time to be alone.  It’s near where she grew up, though, so she calls her dad for help–her dad, who she hasn’t talked to in years.

The second part (the bigger part) is about Tillie’s childhood.  Her dad works hard and her mom is probably bipolar (although not diagnosed).  Some days, her mom’s great–they have parties and there’s a lot of fun.  But some days–most days, really–she stays in bed.

This was an impulse grab at BEA, and I’m so glad I did.  I loved everything about this book, from Tillie’s devotion to her mom and her confusion at why her mom couldn’t always take care of her.  Tillie reminded me of Ramona, if Ramona grew up in a house where she largely had to raise herself and where she was loved but not necessarily cared for.  Tillie was just irrepressible and wouldn’t let anything keep her down.  (I LOVED child Tillie, but would have liked to see more about how child Tillie became grownup Tillie.)