kimb2 's review for:

A Million Things by Emily Spurr

4.0

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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A Million Things is a heartwarming story told in a series of diary entries featuring two memorable characters.  Rae is ten years old and alone except for her dog, Splinter.  She is wise beyond her years, resourceful and very determined.  Lettie, her elderly neighbour, is lonely, grumpy and a hoarder.  

Both characters struggle to cope with loss and abandonment in their own ways and come to rely on each other for support.  Both try to maintain an illusion of normalcy, but nothing about their situations is normal.  Both prove that just a little bit of kindness can make all the difference in the world.

While heartbreaking at times, this is ultimately a story of strength and love. It’s a poignant, tender, beautifully written novel that is comparable to Eudora Honeysett, A Man Called Ove, and All the Lonely People.