Reading Adventure: "A Million Things" by Emily Spurr

Don’t boo me but after some feedback, I swapped “The Correspondent” for “A Million Things.” While the former is well worth the read and brilliantly written, it's not a good fit for March.

A haunting debut that follows fifty-five days in the life of a young girl who must look after herself when her mother disappears.

Rae is ten years old, and she’s tough. She’s had to be as life with her mum has taught her the world is not her friend. For as long as she can remember, it’s been her and Mum, and their dog, Splinter. Sometimes Mum disappears for a while to clear her head but Rae is okay with this, because she always comes back.

So, when Rae wakes to Splinter’s nose in her face, the back door open, and no Mum, she does as she’s always done and carries on. She takes care of the house, goes to school, walks Splinter, and minds her own business. All the while pushing down the truth she isn’t ready to face.

That is, until her grumpy, lonely neighbor butts in. Lettie might know more about Rae than she lets on. But she has her own reasons for keeping the world at arm’s length. When Rae finds out what they are, it seems like she and Lettie could help each other out.

"A Million Things" transforms a gut-wrenching story of abandonment into a portrait of resilience and the families we make. And how they make us in return.

288 pgs