Reflecting this age of extreme weather events, Jennifer
Brown has written a gripping novel, Torn Away, which explores the
impact of a tornado on one Missouri community and in particular on a sixteen-year-old
girl named Jersey. The descriptions of sights and sounds are vivid and readers
will sense the horror which Jersey experiences both during and after the storm.
The story is an emotional roller-coaster as Jersey struggles
to deal with the grief and sadness due to losing family members and being
forced to live in unfamiliar surroundings. At the beginning of the book, Jersey
seems like a strong, if typically self-centered, teenager. It's a stretch towards the middle of the
story to believe that she wouldn't more quickly be utilizing her anger and desire
for self-preservation to escape a situation where she is totally mistreated,
hardly offered any comfort, and not even addressed by name. I wanted to give Jersey
that much-needed hug as she dealt with being frightened and with feelings of depression;
I also wanted to confront the step-parent who sent her away to complete strangers
and separated her from friends at such a heart-breaking time. Still emotionally numb, she is later sent to
yet more extended family and lashes out cruelly. Fortunately, those adults – mellowed by their
own regrets – try to be more caring and patient with her. Like Brown's Hate
List, expect to see Torn Away on the Abe Lincoln Award
list in the near future.
