A review by portcitykt
A Tiny Upward Shove by Melissa Chadburn

4.0

A moving tragic story which combines Chadburn’s knowledge of the failed child welfare system in this country with the basic true account of a serial killer in Canada. Marina, of mixed Filipino and Black heritage wants a regular life, family and love. We sense the love from her Lola and Mutya ( grandmother and mother) and the sharing of folklore and spirits but no one can break through their own wants. Marina ends up in a group home (aka grope home) and from my work with group homes in my career the characters portrayed are so realistic. Marina tries to conform but tries to maintain her sanity and dreams of reunification. “Want is for the living “ and Marina isn’t getting any of her wants met so she turns to touch as a way to feel wanted.

The pain of seeing what all of these characters endure just pulled at my heartstrings. Chadburn kept her grip on me until the end even though I knew she was pulling me down a deep dark hole. So well done and a must read. This book is, in the words of Lola, “ a killa, thrilla and a chilla.”

Thank you to #NetGalley and @fsgbooks for the advanced copy of a #ATinyUpwardShove.