He lost his brother. He lost his first love. Otis believed he had moved on from both of these, but in reality, he had not. After three years, Meg, the first love, returned. This set Otis on a path of healing and self discovery on which he learned so much about himself and the people in his life.
I also hoped Meg has another kind of GPS. One that would navigate her back to me.
Otis, Otis, Otis. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Otis was such a wonderful MC. He was a swimmer and a poet. He wore his heart on his sleeve. He was sensitive and a steadfast friend. He put others before himself, and acknowledged when he may have been blind to others' needs. He loved his family, and did things he didn't want to in order to make his mom happy. I just loved this boy to shreds. His emotions and pain just flew off the page. I wished I could just reach in and give him a hug.
You love someone and they leave, but they never entirely go away. You feel them there, acutely, like an amputated limb.
The friendship between Dara and Otis was quite beautiful. It may not have been apparent, but there was a symbiosis there. He was her rock, but she was his too. They each gave a lot to the other, however, while Otis did so obviously, Dara did so move covertly.
She picked me up, dusted me off, and kicked my a**. Maybe we all need that from time to time. If we're lucky, there's someone there who cares enough to do it.
And speaking of Dara, she was such a fierce, interesting and complicated character. I loved all her layers, and was so happy with the way Garner chose to revel each of her facets. I found myself rooting for Dara, as well as, Otis. She won a place in my heart with her gruff exterior and her tender heart.
She might always be my phantom limb. She might always hurt.
Meg. I was not always sure about Meg, but when more is revealed, I found a lot of sympathy for her. She was also trying to heal. It was not only Otis' family who suffered when Mason died. It also affected Meg's family, and the fallout may have been, in a way, a little worse. I have to admit, I wanted Meg and Otis to work out, because Otis wanted it to work out. I was all about making Otis happy.
But damaged doesn't necessarily mean broken.
Me at the end of this book:
This was a really beautiful story of loss: loss of a limb, loss of a sibling, loss of son, loss of a best friend, loss of a future. I was touched so many time, and I shed many tears. I sort of lost it during the last 10 pages, but Garner left me a full heart from all the feels.