King, A.S. (2016). Still life with tornado: New York, NY: Dutton Books: an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Summary of the book:
Summary of the book:
A.S. King’s novel, “Still Life with a Tornado,” stars a sixteen-year-old protagonist named Sarah, who loves to draw and create art, the story begins with Sarah talking about her art class, and how her friend Carmen drew a picture of a tornado. In the art class is where Sarah loses the will to draw and shortly after stop attending school. Her parents want her to do something productive, but all the while she is skipping school. Her family is not what it seems; it’s been broken ever since her brother Bruce left after that vacation in Mexico. So instead of going to school, she is wandering the streets of Philadelphia. While wandering the streets, she first runs into her 23-year-old self, then her 10-year-old self later, and then her at 40-year-olds. At the surface, it appears that Sarah is having an existential crisis but she is really just trying to make sense of her life.
Response:
This novel is not what it seems, it can best be described as realism with a touch of magical elements, therefore falling under the umbrella of science fiction, in that it contains a realistic setting, but has futuristic elements. A.S. King’s take on a difficult subject matter like family abuse is done in a captivating and relatable manner that makes it easier for a young adult to gravitate to reading it. The appropriate grade levels would be grades 9 and up. Textbook connections would be “The Sun is Also a Star” by Nicola Yoon and “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas.
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