Seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister can't quite admit her mother's alcoholism is spiraling dangerously out of control until she drives drunk, nearly killing them and Jane's best friend.Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left the problems at home years ago for college. A summer with him and his tornado-chasing buddies may just provide the time and space Jane needs to figure out her life and whether it still includes her mother. But she struggles with her anger at Ethan for leaving home and feels guilty--is she also abandoning her mom just when she needs Jane most? The carefree trip turned journey of self-discovery quickly becomes more than Jane bargained for, especially when the devilishly handsome Max steps into the picture. (From Goodreads)
This book hit way closer to home than I'm comfortable with. It reads like it's quick and easy, but it actually deals with some pretty tough stuff, like being the child of an alcoholic. I'm not going to go into the aspects of this that made me uncomfortable and I'm not going to get personal - I'm just going to say that this is something I struggle with (I'm not a child of an alcoholic, but some people I love very much are). Between that and the fact that she's from Minnesota and hangs out with storm chasers - I started to squirm with the similarities (I don't hang out with storm chasers, but I am fascinated by storms). I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I kind of shut down pretty early on in the book - my own way of protecting my emotions.
I still really enjoyed the book, but it's hard for me to talk about objectively. It has its weaknesses - the relationships felt rushed and a little flimsy, and for a book about storm chasing I really wish there were a lot more storms. I was kind of hoping for a Twister for teens kind of thing, but the story wound up dealing more with cleaning up a town after a tornado destroys it. There was a bit of chasing, but those scenes were a little brief. I actually picked up this book because I have a morbid fascination for tornadoes. I absolutely adore storms, but tornadoes really frighten me. So I have to say I was a little bummed when that aspect of the book didn't quite come through for me.
But of course, the book isn't really about the storms. Jane is spending the summer with her brother in order to get away from a toxic home situation. He tries to convince her that she doesn't have to be the one to take care of their mom. She, on the other hand, is afraid her mother won't survive if she doesn't have someone to take care of her. This story line is done very well. Like I said, I shut down pretty quickly - but I feel like the emotions and the situations were very true to life.
This is definitely a great August read and kind of cool if you're in the Midwest during tornado season - you'll know what it feels like when there's a tornado warning. The tough stuff is handled quite nicely - it doesn't every get too intense or too heavy - unless you're overly sensitive like me. If you like the sound of what this book has to offer, definitely give it a shot.
