Twigs

by Alison Ashley Formento

[Joni Reads]

This is such a unique book! Twigs got her nickname because she was born premature and very very tiny. At 18 she is not even 5 feet tall but she sure is full of spunk and attitude! She works at a drug store and that's where she first meets Helen, a woman scorned who has a complete breakdown in the store, throwing hair dye and screaming. As Twigs tried to calm Helen down she has no idea that Helen will become her lifeline in the days to come. Twig's finds out her older brother Matt went AWOL in the Army, her mother is dating a deaf guy, her boyfriend is away and college and strangely distant, her younger sister is sexually active, amongst other crises. Fed up by her family and the way they treat her she retreats to Helen's house. Oddly, thoughout the chaos in the house as Helen tried to come to terms with her cheating hudband and her impending divorce, Twigs finds peace in the house. Will her family ever take her seriously? Will Matt ever return? What's going on with her boyfriend? You will find all this out and more if you read this amazing novel.

I could not choose a favorite character in this. I love them all! Helen is so wild and full of life, I admire her so much. She just feels so much and refuses to hide her feelings. From throwing hair dye in the drug store to smashing her soon to be ex husband's car with a sledge hammer, she does everything to extremes. Maybe she should stop to think of the consequenses but she doesn't. Not sure if that makes her awesome or crazy but either way, I love her.

Twigs is so full of attitude and spunk all wrapped up in a tiny body. She is obviously going through major drama in her life and at first she runs from it- straight to a woman with just as much chaos. But she's not afraid to stand up for herself and not be treated like a baby, which happens all the time due to her size.

I loved this book. I plan on buying and reading it over and over again. It's a really powerful novel. No one character plays the victim role and that's refreshing. It's just a great novel all around, from story to character development to flow. Definitely one for the bookshelves.