If You Find Me: Review

Author: Emily Murdoch
Page Number:256
Publisher:St. Martin's Griffin
Source:Won

Description:

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

 Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

Review:
 Beautiful prose, a unique story, and realistic characters is what made this story for me.

 The story is centered mostly around Carey and Jennessa: their love for each other and how they get through all the tough times together. This show of love for each other really squeezed my heart and made me want to hug all my sisters. Both them are such amazing characters. They both had depth, qualities, and most important, flaws. Flaws is important to me, because it makes characters perfect for me. I want fictional characters to seem real, and in order for that to happen, they must have flaws.

The story is first set in woods, where Carey and Jennessa live with their not-so-much-there mother. Carey seems too old for her young age( only 14?!), since she has to make a living in the woods with her sister on little sustain. But, then her father finds her in the woods with a letter from her mother telling him where to find them. From there, Carey's whole life changes. There is suddenly too much food, electricity, and hot baths. It made me think how lucky I am.
Throughout this whole novel, Carey is realistic and smart at most times. But what made it most realistic, was when she missed her home in the woods. I suppose most people would wonder why she would miss the woods. But, that's where she lived most of her life and of course, she would miss that.

This story had little romance in it, mainly because, like I said, it is centered around the two sisters. However, I would have liked to see how Carey ended up handling her relationship.

Not recommended: If you are easily squimish, this book is probably not for you.