FIC Cooney, Caroline B. If the Witness Lied, 213 pgs. Delacorte Press (Random House), 2009. RATING : Language – PG.Jack’s been the good brother. He’s the one who has stayed home with his younger brother, Tris, and Aunt Cheryl. Smithy, at 14, applied by herself to boarding school in another state and got accepted. Madison ran away to her godparents. Neither sister has been home for more than a couple of days in a year. However, with the passing of the anniversary of their Dad’s birthday and death, the sisters both feel prompted to come home, arriving on the same day Jack learns about his aunt’s plan to sell Tris’s story to TV. Their family has already had unwanted media attention three times : once when their mom refused chemotherapy for her liver cancer because she was pregnant with Tris; again when she died within a month of Tris’s birth; and lastly, a year earlier, when their dad died after Tris accidentally released the parking brake and the jeep ran him over. Jack knows any renewed media interest will brand Tris as that kid who killed both his parents, permanently removing any chance of even having a semblance of a normal childhood. With the help of Jack’s neighbor Diana and armed with memories of their parents’ love and courage, the siblings overcome misunderstandings among themselves and willful deceptions by Cheryl to become a family again.
This is a touchingly sweet and simple story of courage, family love, and starting over. The children’s memories of their parents’ love and example resonated with me. I also was moved by their struggles to forgive themselves and each other for their choices since their dad’s death, and their tentative overtures toward faith in God despite everything that’s happened to them. I can overlook the coincidence of both sisters coming home on the very day Cheryl secures a TV contract because of how much I think Cooney was right on with the rest of the story.
MS – ADVISABLE.
FIC Wallace, Rich. Perpetual Check, 112 pgs. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. RATING : Language – PG13 (about 45 swear words, no f-).This book covers the action of just one night and the following day, but it is a pivotal day in the relationship of two brothers. Randy, a freshman, has recently surpassed Zeke on the chess team as their leading player. He was seeded fifth for the tournament while his brother was not seeded. However, they have both made it to the final 16 and have been given free rooms for the night. When Zeke leaves his hotel key in the room and is out past curfew, he is forced to knock on Randy’s door and crash there. Zeke doesn’t get Randy’s humor and finds his tendency to make up words annoying. He has found it easy to follow his dad’s lead and not treat Randy well since he is also secretly intimidated by his brother's natural athletic abilities, intellect, success at getting a girlfriend, and ease in his own skin. In other words, he has a serious case of sibling rivalry. But this night, away from their dad, they have a conversation as any two not-very-close brothers might who are both competing in the same tournament, playing a game they both love, and meeting the same people. As the older brother extends this hand of friendship, the younger brother happily accepts. By the end of the tournament, they finally are able to connect to each other as brothers instead of as their father’s sons.
I liked this story. It is a very fast read at only 112 pages, but I was pulled right into this sibling rivalry. I enjoyed watching the scenes at the chess tournament and listening to their dialogue as Zeke tried to relate to Randy honestly, discarding his preconceived notions about his brother and seeing his dad for the bully he was. I also was intrigued by the ins and outs of playing chess competitively. Since I am so unable to do so, it was informative to learn a little about it.
MS – ADVISABLE.
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