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Book Review of Name All the Animals: A Memoir

Name All the Animals: A Memoir
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A luminous, true story, Name All The Animals is an unparalled accoutn of grief and secret love; the tale of a family clinging to the memory of a lost child, and of a young woman struggling to define herself in the wake of his loss. As childre, siblings Alsion and Roy Smith were so close that their mother called them one name, Alroy. But when Alison was fifteen, she woke one day to learn that Roy, eighteen, was dead. Hearbreaking but hepful, this extraordinary memoir explores the aftermath of Roy's death: his parents' enduing romance, the faith of a deeply religious community, and the excitement and anguish of Alison's first love---a taboo relationship that opens up a world beyond the death of her brother.