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A review by lyndajdickson
Nora & Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor
5.0
Eighteen-year-old Nora has lived through a life of physical abuse at the hands of her father, a lawyer campaigning for the civil rights of Japanese Americans interned seven years earlier in World War II prison camps. Children who escaped from these camps or became orphans were dubbed the "Lost Children" by the press. Kettle is one of these children. Now seventeen, Kettle lives in the tunnels of the railway station with his "family" of homeless children, the Kings of the Subway. Refusing to resort to stealing, Kettle ekes out a meager living by working dangerous jobs on the docks to support his family. We follow both Nora and Kettle on their separate journeys. Their paths intersect on so many levels until they finally meet - right when they both need each other most.
This is a heartbreaking account of a young man's struggle to survive on the streets and of a young woman's physical abuse at the hands of her own father. This is a story that moved me the tears. It is an emotional journey for both the characters and the reader. The author imbues the story with a fable-like quality through her beautiful, lyrical, and poetic prose, full of rich metaphors and similes. We see shades of Peter Pan through the recurring theme of flying, and the more you look, the more references you will find; this added layer of nuance provides the reader some relief from the stark realities of the characters' lives. I love the cover, the significance of which will be revealed as you read. Thankfully, this story is ultimately uplifting. I love how Nora ends up defeating her father in a totally unexpected, yet satisfying, way.
Best read of the year so far.
Warnings: domestic violence, violence, animal cruelty, mild swearing, minor sexual references.
Full blog post: https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2016/03/nora-and-kettle-by-lauren-nicolle-taylor.html
This is a heartbreaking account of a young man's struggle to survive on the streets and of a young woman's physical abuse at the hands of her own father. This is a story that moved me the tears. It is an emotional journey for both the characters and the reader. The author imbues the story with a fable-like quality through her beautiful, lyrical, and poetic prose, full of rich metaphors and similes. We see shades of Peter Pan through the recurring theme of flying, and the more you look, the more references you will find; this added layer of nuance provides the reader some relief from the stark realities of the characters' lives. I love the cover, the significance of which will be revealed as you read. Thankfully, this story is ultimately uplifting. I love how Nora ends up defeating her father in a totally unexpected, yet satisfying, way.
Best read of the year so far.
Warnings: domestic violence, violence, animal cruelty, mild swearing, minor sexual references.
Full blog post: https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2016/03/nora-and-kettle-by-lauren-nicolle-taylor.html