THE PECULIAR GIFT OF JULY by Ashley Ream is a charming novel which deals with
the idea of family, “everyday magic,” and belonging. The story takes place on
Ebey’s End,
a small fictional island community near Seattle that is reached by ferry. It is
into that interconnected, caring community that July, a fourteen-year-old girl
is plummeted after the death of her adoptive mother. Somehow July seems to
instinctively know what others need… whether it is Anita, the lonely
middle-aged retail grocer with whom July now lives, or Mack, Anita’s eccentric
and garrulous father, or Jim, the librarian caring for his disabled sister, or Chet,
the local pastor and his teenage son, Malcolm, or Carol and Doc, a couple
dealing with being unfaithful to each other. Reading about everyday events
allows for developing affection towards July and the island’s inhabitants, making
the contrast with the fast-paced and surprising ending even more evident. THE PECULIAR GIFT OF JULY received a starred review from Booklist (“readers
will face the dilemma of consuming this book as quickly as possible or limiting
pages to slowly savor.”). Ream writes distinctively; here are just a few quotes
to recall:
·
“It was raining outside, a heavy drizzle that
started in October and marched with head down and shoulders hunched right
through April.”
·
“It had taken her an hour to cook dinner. It took
almost no time to eat it, sitting alone at the kitchen table.”
·
“But knowing you should say something and knowing
precisely what that something might be we're two different kinds of knowing.”
·
“She had a hard time remembering most of what
happened during that time period it was like the film in her brain had been
corrupted, leaving staticky bits that were almost never things you would want.”
·
“Two months ago, she'd been thinking of getting a
cat for company, and now her life felt like an elevator with people coming in
and in and in until she was pressed into the corner with nowhere to go and not
enough air.”
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