how i live now
CCBC Review:
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent to live with her cousins in England while her father and new stepmother move on with their lives in New York City. Almost immediately, terrorists from an unknown country invade England. Daisy and her cousins, Osbert, Edmond, Isaac, and Piper live in a rural area far removed from the initial points of attack in the cities, and events are not close enough to penetrate their sheltered and self-involved lives. Daisy and Edmond fall in love, and Meg Rosoff navigates the delicate subject of teenage cousins engaged in sex with amazing restraint. When the war finally arrives at their door and separates Daisy and Edmond, Daisy’s agony is searing, even as she struggles to keep herself and young Piper alive. They endure some horrific wartime episodes, including checkpoints, murders, massacres, and starvation. The hunger they experience is used both literally and as a metaphor for longing, and Daisy’s physical and emotional hungers become enmeshed in this sophisticated, gripping novel. Because Daisy had been anorexic when she arrived in England, the irony of Daisy’s hunger is powerful. Daisy’s voice is fresh and clear. Rosoff’s use of capital letters, hyperbole, and run-on sentences effectively convey her character and distinctive voice. As life becomes a struggle, Daisy moves from self-absorption to caring for others in a way she has never cared for anyone, including herself. By the end of the war, she has become serious, almost numb. Her psychological transformation is palpable and tied directly to the action and events in the story. It is also reflected in the change in narrative style, which becomes much more restrained. A huge jump in time concludes this harrowing, psychologically complex novel. ©2004 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 14 and older
Age Range:
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Cousins
Eating Disorders
Love and Romance
Sex and Sexuality
Speculative Fiction
Survival
Terrorism
Violence
Publishers:
Random House, Wendy Lamb Books
Publish Year: 2004
Pages: 194
ISBN: 0385746776
CCBC Location: Fiction, Rosoff