Mathida Savitch by Victor LodatoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
It is funny to say that I liked the book but it really left me unsettled. I am still debating about how to describe it.
I think most of us have a little Mathilda Savitch in us. Mathilda constantly has lots of thoughts running through her mind. The difference between her and us is that Mathilda's thoughts come out through her mouth and most of us keep them inside. Mathilda's thoughts grow and expand until they get away from her with their largeness and she doesn't recognize them anymore.
Mathilda is living in a house with her Ma and Da. Mithilda's sister died the previous year and we learn more about her sister's death as the story unfolds. Her parents are so grief stricken that they don't really seem to realize that Mathilda is still living in the same house with them. The more they ignore Mathilda, the more she acts out to get their attention.
As Mathilda investigates the circumstances of her sister's death, she tries to make sense of it. Each bit of information she gleans from her sister's room helps her understand her sister, her parents and herself better. Each step is painful and takes her further from her childhood into an adult world that she is really not ready to enter.
If you are looking for an enjoyable weekend read that will leave you uplifted and peaceful at the end, this book is not it. Mathilda takes us on an interesting journey but all loose ends are not tied up in a neat little package at the end of the story. (Sounds a little like real life, doesn't it?) On the other hand, Mathilda is an unforgetable character, the writing is excellent, and I would definitely recommend it.
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