Author: A.J. Paquette
Genre: Middle Grade
Published: 2011
My Content Rating: G
Luchi Ann is an American girl born in an obscure Thai prison. Her mother was an inmate, but when she passes away, Luchi has to go out into the world for the first time. Her fair skin and blond hair mark her as a foreigner, though Thailand is the only home she's ever known. It takes a long journey through Thailand and overseas to discover who she is and what secrets her mother was keeping.
I love this book. I'm not usually one to care about prose, but this is beautifully written. I love the way Ammi-Joan (yes, that Ammi-Joan) uses comparisons everywhere that don't just describe a thing, but also reveal what Luchi is feeling, and also also connect everything to frigging everything.
And as a foreigner living in Thailand, I felt she got the people spot on: the caring grandmother, the kind relatives who still worry about saving face, the well-meaning (but sometimes deceitful) cousin, the girl who is perfectly nice to your face -- and means it -- but is also ripping you off because you're a farang.
I loved all these characters, I feel like I know them (or, in some cases, am related to them by marriage). Shoot, Ammi-Joan even made me want to visit Bangkok again, which is not a feeling I normally have.
If any of that sounds even vaguely interesting to you, go read this book.
I really need to get around to reading this. It's got everything I'm into: Prison, escape, Asia, beautiful prose.
ReplyDeleteEr, wait. That sounds wrong now, looking back.
Sounds awesome! It might even appeal to my soft-hearted 8yo son (who recently watched Gnomeo and Juliet and now wants to watch "the real thing" - I told him everyone dies, but that didn't dissuade him, so I know he's a romantic at heart. :)).
ReplyDeletei've never seen this before, and then TWICE today!
ReplyDeletewill add it to my goodreads (which currently works as the tbr list that i can't keep in my brain anymore...)
wait! is it mg? maybe i should get it for my son?
ReplyDelete