ME AND EMMA, by Elizabeth Flock
Loved this book. It came out as trade paperback (the large-sized paperback) from my publisher, Mira Books. It’s the story of two young sisters, Emma and Carrie, told from Carrie’s point of view in first person. The sisters try to run away from their emotionally distant mother and abusive stepfather. That sounds a bit cliched, but the story is not. It’s very well written and engaging, but the really POW comes at the end. And of course I’m not going to tell you what happens.
I will say, though, that the character of Carrie has what I call “pyschological integrity”, meaning the surprise ending completely fits the character’s motivation and emotional makeup. That’s crucial when an author’s trying to pull off a surprise for the reader. The author needs to keep the reader guessing what’s going on, but guessing worng. Yet when all is revealed, it has to feel right and believable. i think Flock really pulled it off in this story. Kudos to her for doing so.