Josie’s mother is a hoarder and the house she lives in with
her Mum is packed to the ceiling with junk.
Josie’s never been able to bring friends over and now it’s so bad that
she has the bathe at school. Still, her mother
continues to obsessively buy more and more stuff until the day comes when she
is arrested for not paying her taxes and Josie has to fend for herself.
Tasha would be fine if only her Mom would get rid of her
current boyfriend Chaz. He leers at her
and, when her mother isn’t looking, touches her in inappropriate ways. No longer
feeling safe at home, she sleeps over at friends’ houses until she
wears out her welcome. With no where
else to go, she finds herself staying with Josie. Together, the two girls use
their wits and whatever resources they can find to avoid ending up on the
streets or in the clutches of social services.
I wasn’t really sure what to make of this
novel. It’s a very busy story with lots
of characters and they are not entirely memorable. The cultural barrier (US vs UK) doesn’t help. But ultimately, I just found myself turned
off by characters that were so devoted to avoiding help. I get this fear of foster care, but compared
to the risks to which they subjected themselves, it made no sense.
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