Mockingbird

Mockingbird
by Kathryn Erskine

In Caitlin's world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That's the stuff Caitlin's older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon's dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger's, she doesn't know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white--the world is full of colors--messy and beautiful. (description from Amazon.com)

What an amazing little gem of a book. I suppose I should have expected that...it did win the National Book Award, after all! Erskine deftly manages to tackle such weighty issues with grace...it really is incredible. I recommend that everyone should read this book!

There were so many things that I loved about this book. The writing style was simple, yet you were able to draw such stunning depth out of simple actions and phrases. The characters were beautifully drawn. Caitlin...I loved Caitlin. I loved watching her grow and try to help others through their grief, even as she was unable to understand how they were processing things differently. There were many messages in this book, yet you never felt as if they were right out in front of you. The layers were just amazing.

I can't even fully articulate the experience I had reading this book. It was just beautiful.