Why would a mother do this?
Nestled in the Hundred Acre Woods with her sister Nessa, Jenessa has been living with her Mama in an old decrepit camper. With no running water and no electricity, Jenessa can’t recall the last time they went in town for dinner, the three of them are tucked far away into the forest. The girls have learned to take care of themselves as Mama runs off for days or sometimes weeks at a time leaving the girls to fend for themselves. Even when Mama is home, Jenessa has to stay on top of things as her mother does not do a good job parenting. Mama has a mental illness along with other issues and as her trips become more frequent, she decides she can’t take it any longer and calls authorities to come get the girls. As strangers approach the trailer, you can imagine their reaction to seeing a fifteen year old girl and a six year old girl surviving in these conditions. As these strangers survey the surroundings, they realize that Nessa has not spoken in a year and they realize that Jenessa acts older than she really is. What really hurts is what girls feel, knowing their mother “left” them. She bailed, after everything they have gone through together this was the last straw and now the girls who have basically lived without anything have to try to adjust to a normal life without knowing the reason why their mother left. As the strangers chat to the girls, they explain to them who they are and that their mother abducted Jenessa ten years ago from her father. This shocks Jenessa as this is not what her mother told her. Why would her mother do this? Can her relationship with her father be salvaged? As the girls make their way back into civilization they have to adjust to many things including television, beds, clean clothes, showers and many other things that we take for granted. I enjoyed reading how they cherished these new adventures and it made me realize how much I take for granted. Just because Mama is gone does not mean that she is out of their life because as Jenessa adjusts to her new life, her mother’s voice invades her thoughts telling her instructions on how to live. The reasoning behind Nessa’s quiet world starts to unfold but with it comes new realizations and emotions. It’s a time for taking down the wall that has been up for so long. For the girls, the road ahead is unpaved and spacious.
The story started out so strong with the sisters feeding off one another. Their connection was thick and supportive. At the beginning we read about how Jenessa felt about her life and her Mama but as the story progressed I thought the author quit expressing the characters emotions as much. This was an emotional topic so I wished there would have been more about how people felt or their thoughts on what was happening besides the dialogue and their actions. Nessa’s connection with Shorty was fun and helped with her story line. I enjoyed all the connections in the story. Fast read and great story line.
"Afterwards, the anger licks my innards like a wildfire. I turn around, hands on my hips, and stare this woman down. She cringe when I wipe my mouth on the sleeve of my T-shirt."
