Melanie Thorne
Fiction
Wow, this book was depressing. I knew it would be and I requested it at the library anyway. This is what happens when you read too many book reviews and get sucked in by the enthusiasm.
Hand Me Down is the story of fourteen year-old Liz (damn, I just checked the book jacket to look up her age and realized I went through the whole story thinking she was sixteen) who lives with her mom and younger sister. Their dad is an alcoholic who almost killed them a few times and mom’s married to a sleazeball who likes to fondle Liz when mom isn’t looking. All this gets to be too much for Liz and eventually she’s sent to Utah to live with her aunt Tammy. Things are starting to look up, but Liz can’t stop worrying about her sister. A dramatic visit home finally pushes everyone to the breaking point.
Like I’ve mentioned before, I hate books about abuse and neglect. But I decided to give this one a try, hoping maybe it wouldn’t be too graphic or horrible. And it wasn’t, thankfully. I mean, yes, horrible things happen and awful people abound, but the bright spot is Liz. She’s a great character. Everyone else around her sucks, but Liz is awesome. You really root for her and when she finally landed in a real, loving home at the end, I breathed a sigh of sweet relief. You will, too.
I would recommend this book to everyone.
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