Ready to Fall

by Marcella Pixley

[Sam@WLABB]

This was another of my Can't-Wait Wednesday picks, and I when I looked back at the all the reasons for why I wanted to read this book, I have to admit, I would highlight all those things as "pros", because they are some of the elements I really liked, but there were additional things that made this a great reading experience for me as well.

•Pro: The way Pixley handled Max's grief was so real, yet so odd. He exhibited all the common symptoms - withdrawal, weight loss, anger - but his grief also took the form of an imaginary tumor, which he believed transferred from his mother to him, and the interactions with the "tumor" though quite strange, had a lot of real emotion attached to them. It was interesting and different, and it added an extra dimension to Max's grief, which he had to work through.

•Pro: This book was filled with some intriguing and complicated characters. Fish, Ms. Pruitt, The Monk, the twins, Grandma Jean, Dad, Mr. Cage, and Ms. Grossman all added something special to the story. I was especially fond of Fish, because she and Max shared that common bond of having "lost" their mothers, and she was an important stepping stone to his healing process.

•Pro: Speaking of mothers. The tears!!! Every time Max shared something about his mom, I got a little verklempt. He shared beautiful and tender moments with me, but he also shared some final and painful moments. The love and adoration he had for his mother was unquestionable, but I knew, that he knew, he was very loved by her too.

•Pro: This school was as awesome as I thought it would be, and Pixley did an incredible job weaving a tapestry of pain and grief that included Kafka and Hamlet.

•Con: Though hopeful, the ending left me with some loose ends, and I like rather tidy endings. I was not too frustrated though, so minor con.

•Pro: The title comes from a trust exercise, which Max and the other thespians engaged in, and I really think it was quite brilliant to use this as the litmus test for where Max was on his healing journey.

•Pro: I was impressed by the story and the writing. Pixley loaded this book with vivid imagery and whip smart dialog. The words grabbed me and pulled me right in.

•Pro: I cared so much for Max, Dad, Grandma, and Fish. I wanted them all to find some happiness and healing, and I reveled in every good thing that happened to them.



Overall: The pain, grief, and loss that Max was wrestling with brought tears to my eyes, as did the joy and peace he eventually found.

*I would like to thank the publisher for the review copy of this book.

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