I always get into a funk when I read sad novels. This one was exceptionally poignant because the author really explains these characters. You get a backing story. Not long, drawn out backing stories - it's almost as if you are reliving the memory of these people. As if you've always known. You feel their anxiety. You understand and empathise with their mistakes. Through all these mistakes is Phoebe: the little girl with Downs Syndrome that is a beacon of hope and purity. I felt like I lived a lifetime in a book. But redemption is possible for the characters and the funk lifts when you finish.
