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Book Review of The Clearing

The Clearing
The Clearing
Author: Heather Davis
Genre: Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Paperback
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In order to escape former boyfriend Matt's physical and mental abuse, sixteen year old Amy chooses to move to the country and live with her great-aunt Mae and her elderly German shepherd Katie for her senior year of high school. Mae's home isn't much, just a single-wide trailer nestled in a 40 acre valley of farmland, but it is safe and quiet. A place for Amy to start over and forget the troubles she had left behind.

One day while throwing sticks for Katie to fetch, Amy stumbles upon a clearing in the woods behind Mae's house. The far end of the clearing is shrouded by fog, and when Amy crosses into the mist, she feels like she is entering into another world. There she meets a boy her age named Henry, who is different from any boy she has ever met. She feels comfortable with Henry in ways she simply can't be comfortable with the other teens in the area, and as their relationship grows, she comes to realize that there is more going on than Henry just being different.

Henry lives in a world where every day is the same as the day before - literally. Frozen in time on the day of his birthday, in 1944, nothing ever changes for Henry, until Amy appears one day out of the mist. Amy's appearance in his life is at once exciting and threatening. Exciting because she brings change to the monotony of his days, but frightening because Henry is afraid that her appearance and continued presence in his reality will eventually cause his world to unravel.

As Amy and Henry's relationship grows and Amy learns more about Henry's world, she decides to investigate the situation in her own time, and the information she discovers and eventually imparts to Henry and his family changes everything. As Amy helps Henry face his personal demons and lay them to rest, she also finds the courage within herself to face her own and move forward with her life as well.

This was a beautiful story, if a bit farfetched, filled with poignant scenes of love, friendship, and healing. I enjoyed reading it, and even though some aspects of it were a bit farfetched and other aspects seemed to need more development, overall the story was intriguing and entertaining. I give this story 3.5 stars.