The plot that drives this story is unique and I don't want to tell too much, so I don't destroy the surprises. The story opens when Wesley Ford is 14 and he first meets 12-year-old Luci Quick. Luci's mother has died in childbirth and Luci has promised her mother that she will take care of Sadie, the newborn.
We find out that Luci's mother fed the family through activities that shamed her daughter when she found out (after her mother's death). Luci's father is an alcoholic gambler, who denies that Sadie is his and refuses to support her.
Wesley and his emotionally very close sister, Lillian, are soon sent to boarding school and the family breaks up. This is because Wesley's father is emotionally cold and often beats Wesley. Mrs. Ford decides it is safer for the kids to move out of the house and away from their father. They even don't go home in the summers.
After school, Wesley starts a life with his roommate, Roland. They find some land near the sea and build two cottages. About that time, Wesley gets a message that his father has died and Lillian needs him to come home. This single event brings out a whole cascade of events.
This story flows smoothly and I was surprised when it ended. I was so caught up in the unfolding events, time passed without notice. This is a charming, loving story.
We find out that Luci's mother fed the family through activities that shamed her daughter when she found out (after her mother's death). Luci's father is an alcoholic gambler, who denies that Sadie is his and refuses to support her.
Wesley and his emotionally very close sister, Lillian, are soon sent to boarding school and the family breaks up. This is because Wesley's father is emotionally cold and often beats Wesley. Mrs. Ford decides it is safer for the kids to move out of the house and away from their father. They even don't go home in the summers.
After school, Wesley starts a life with his roommate, Roland. They find some land near the sea and build two cottages. About that time, Wesley gets a message that his father has died and Lillian needs him to come home. This single event brings out a whole cascade of events.
This story flows smoothly and I was surprised when it ended. I was so caught up in the unfolding events, time passed without notice. This is a charming, loving story.
