Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams

Title:  Miles from Ordinary
Author:  Carol Lynch Williams
Pages:  208

Genre:  YA/ Teen 

Source:  Amazon Prime Program

Thirteen year old Lacey just wants an ordinary life... shoot, she'll even settle for just one ordinary day.  It's her first day of work at the library and, although she's excited to begin work at one of her favorite places and the chance at following in her aunt's footsteps, she still finds herself worried over her momma.  For it is also her momma's first day of work as cashier at the Winn-Dixie. 

She hopes for an ordinary day where they both go to work and meet back up on the bus route.  But nothing is ordinary in Lacey's life.  For her day takes an unexpected turn and you slowly begin to realize just how not ordinary Lacey's life truly is.

As a big fan of Ms. Lynch Williams' The Chosen One, I knew Miles from Ordinary would be a powerful and thought-provoking story.  The whole story takes place throughout the span of one day in Lacey's life.  With tons of flashbacks you get a feel for the background of these characters and just how big Lacey's responsibilities as the caregiver for her mother are.

At a little over 200 pages this was a very quick read.  I sat down and read the whole story through.  My only complaint is that it did have a slow start but  yet I found myself captivated by the young Lacey's voice.  You know from the start that something is not right and you find the intrigue and mystery of it all to be a real page turner. By the story's conclusion I was terrified.  I think Ms. Lynch Williams did a phenomenal job in describing someone suffering from mental illness.  The paranoia, the delusions - I had moments where I wondered if something was real or not... it was all very well done.

While I didn't love this one as much as I did The Chosen One, it was still a riveting read.  Carol Lynch Williams has beautifully written a novel that will touch your heart.  It is a unique and interesting contemporary story that will leave you feeling haunted.

My Rating: