Torn Away - Jennifer Brown

Goodreads summary:

Jersey Cameron has always loved a good storm. Watching the clouds roll in and the wind pick up. Smelling the electricity in the air. Dancing barefoot in the rain. She lives in the Midwest, after all, where the weather is sure to keep you guessing. Jersey knows what to do when the tornado sirens sound. But she never could have prepared for this.

When her town is devastated by a tornado, Jersey loses everything. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with relatives she hardly knows-family who might as well be strangers. In an unfamiliar place, can Jersey discover that even on the darkest of days, there are some things no tornado can destroy?

In this powerful and poignant novel, acclaimed author Jennifer Brown delivers a story of love, loss, hope, and survival.


My review:

4/5

I was NOT prepared for this. At all. 

Obviously, when you pick this book up, you know it won't be all rainbows and happiness. I mean, it is about a natural disaster, so this should warn you that you're entering dangerous zones. Well, believe me, this warning isn't even close to preparing you for what you're about to read, and I learned this the hard way. 

From the second the storm begins, Jersey's life turns to horror. She watches as her family destroys itself and leaves her all alone, without her friends to help, since they're all concerned by other issues and they're hard to reach. Having her house destroyed ends up being the least of her issues and not once in this book did I wish to be in her place. 

I was glad to see that she could find some comfort in all the hatred directed towards her, because she seemed to be the unluckiest person alive before. It was hard for me to understand how horrible people can be to someone who hasn't done a thing to deserve this, but realizing that there was still kindness in her life reassured me. 

The only thing I disliked in this novel was how cold Jersey's character was. Even though the story is written in her point of view, it's as though she's telling someone else's story, because it's quite matter-of-factly. I understand that it might be shock, but at some point, I felt like it would've worn off and I should've seen real emotion. It might also have been because of the translator, since I read it in French, but I don't believe it could've been the only reason. 

I would recommend this story, as draining as it is. If you can't sleep, read this and you'll sleep like a baby when you're done, because it's exhausting to read about such a hard life.