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A review by sarahmsklar8
The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"The sweet sour smell of infection." That is Chrissie. A tragically neglected 8 year old girl, desperately in need of an adult to see her; to care about her. The First Day of Spring is an heartbreaking, stomach churning tale of a broken child who commits a vicious crime. The reader weaves through past and present to see the fallout of Chrissie's shocking first line "I killed a little boy today." up to her present-day life, struggling to parent her own little girl.
Chrissie is such a well-developed character that having grown up in a lower income neighborhood and had schoolmates and friends that had similar upbringings as Chrissie, feels all too real and authentic. I have seen children lash out due to neglect and starvation. I worked in Child Services, and have seen cases so agonizingly similar. As another reviewer said (I'm so sorry, I didn't write down their name!) "This is not a easy novel, but it is a thought provoking, dark and compulsive read, so intensely disturbing, about murder, poverty, family, friendships, trauma, hope and redemption."
My heart is so heavy. Highly, Highly recommend.
Chrissie is such a well-developed character that having grown up in a lower income neighborhood and had schoolmates and friends that had similar upbringings as Chrissie, feels all too real and authentic. I have seen children lash out due to neglect and starvation. I worked in Child Services, and have seen cases so agonizingly similar. As another reviewer said (I'm so sorry, I didn't write down their name!) "This is not a easy novel, but it is a thought provoking, dark and compulsive read, so intensely disturbing, about murder, poverty, family, friendships, trauma, hope and redemption."
My heart is so heavy. Highly, Highly recommend.