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A review by mrskatiefitz
Every Single Second by Tricia Springstubb
3.0
Change is afoot for Nella Sabatini and her Italian-American neighborhood. Angela, the friend Nella used to consider a sister, has become consumed by family difficulties caused by her father's PTSD, leaving Nella to spend more time with a new friend named Clem. Nella's own father has been hiding a secret for Nella's entire life, and when Nella discovers the truth, she has trouble looking at him in the same way. Meanwhile, Nella's beloved school, St. Amphibalus, is about to shut down, leaving its students scrambling to figure out where they will attend next year. Worst of all, Angela's brother, Anthony, whom Nella has idolized her whole life has committed a deadly crime, resulting in the death of a young black man and a rise in racial tensions.
As she does in her other books (especially the Fox Street and Cody titles), Springstubb creates a believable and instantly appealing neighborhood in this latest novel, and she populates it with very real people whose secret sadnesses elicit instant sympathy from the reader. Though I wasn't crazy about the structure (switching back and forth in time, and including the internal monologue of a grave in the cemetery), the writing is, as always, gorgeous. There are many wonderfully insightful one-liners throughout the text, and vivid descriptions of places Nella visits, especially the cemetery, bring the landscape of her community fully to life. I also could not be more grateful to Springstubb for her authentic, factually correct, and overall positive portrayal of Catholic schools, practicing Catholic families, and nuns. In Nella, she has created a character who not only goes through the Catholic motions, but also observes her world, and speaks about it, from a Catholic worldview, which is both rare and refreshing.
As she does in her other books (especially the Fox Street and Cody titles), Springstubb creates a believable and instantly appealing neighborhood in this latest novel, and she populates it with very real people whose secret sadnesses elicit instant sympathy from the reader. Though I wasn't crazy about the structure (switching back and forth in time, and including the internal monologue of a grave in the cemetery), the writing is, as always, gorgeous. There are many wonderfully insightful one-liners throughout the text, and vivid descriptions of places Nella visits, especially the cemetery, bring the landscape of her community fully to life. I also could not be more grateful to Springstubb for her authentic, factually correct, and overall positive portrayal of Catholic schools, practicing Catholic families, and nuns. In Nella, she has created a character who not only goes through the Catholic motions, but also observes her world, and speaks about it, from a Catholic worldview, which is both rare and refreshing.