Review Detail

ack in 2008 I read Jennifer E. Smiths The Comeback Season which probably made it to my best of 2008 list. Since I hadnt really followed Smith after that, I was surprised to stumble upon her latest book, You Are Here. I was not disappointed. As a matter of fact, I highly recommend it.

Peter and Emma are next door neighbors in upstate New York. They are more similar than they are different. Their birthdays are days apart. Both are loners, but for different reasons. Both feel like they dont fit into their families. Both are missing someone in their lives; Emma a twin brother who died days after birth and who she found out about a few days earlier and Peter, a mother who died giving birth to him. Neither family talks about the missing persons.

Emma hatches a plan to visit North Carolina, where she was born and where her brother, Thomas, is buried. It involves a few steps: go back to New York with her older brother Patrick after his 4th of July visit, borrow his car and drive to North Carolina, stopping off in Washington, D.C. to visit her sister Annie, visit Nate, her brother who lives in the house she was born in and visit Thomas grave. As with all impromptu road trips, something goes wrong. In this case, Patricks car dies at a rest stop on the New Jersey turnpike. So, Emma calls the only friend she has, Peter, who for reasons of his own, is in the mood for a road trip as well.

Smiths writing is descriptive. She so aptly describes the relationship between Emma and Peter, friends sort of at the start of the trip, the long bouts of silence as they drive, the awkward attempts at forming a relationship, the insecurities. She populates You Are Here with great characters, best of which is the 3-legged dog that adopts Emma. Peters father and Emmas family are real people with personalities. They deal with their grief in much the same way, a way that does not suit Emma and Peter. Their exploits are fun and interesting. The ending is emotional.

OK, I do have one criticism though. The road trip takes place in two Mustangs and the cover photo is a Cadillac. Hey, whats with that, Jennifer???

Smith has a readable, enjoyable way about her writing and her stories. You cant go wrong by reading The Comeback Season and You Are Here.