The setting is the near future in a downtrodden small town suffering the effects of global warming and economic  disaster following the loss of the surrounding forests. It’s intentionally ugly and depressing with surreal fantasy elements. Both main characters are suffering from grief and neglect. It took me about a third of the book to want to read it. The bizarre aspects and stark emotional landscape didn’t appeal to me at all. I finally engaged when the main characters became friends and began to break down their protective walls built up from years of lonely existence. This dystopic and weirdly envisioned world is creatively interesting and I do recommend it for high school readers. So much of it is stark and hopeless that I didn’t completely love reading it; but the dramatic ending is so compelling and transformative that I was glad I I did.

SP 8/3/20