A review by amiewilson
Hanna Who Fell from the Sky by Christopher Meades

4.0

This book is unlike any other book that I have read. There are familiar elements: an impoverished family led by a drunken, angry, & often cruel man; children who cower & tiptoe around the house to evade the angry father; a main character, Hanna, the oldest daughter who feels it is her duty (and her joy) to care for and protect her younger siblings. Then the story gets a bit different. There are four mothers/wives in this family and the family lives in a community with many other polygamous families where the word and decisions of the father of each family is law. The leader & preacher of the community , Brother Paul, is the final word on all decisions in the community & enjoys a direct line from The Creator. These much older men enjoy having multiple wives and take new young wives as the family ages. This necessitates the community to purge many of the younger men on a regular basis; to eliminate competition to the older, powerful men in the town. Enter Daniel, the young man who catches Hanna's eye. Only Hanna is already promised to one of the much older powerful men in Clearhaven as his fifth wife. No matter how many lessons of obedience and understanding they have endured over their lifetimes their young hearts will not be easily assuaged and what follows is two young lovers trying to weigh what they feel against everything they have been raised to believe. Hanna's story is a coming of age story, albeit set in a very different kind of community.