The Year We Fell From Space

King, Amy Sarig. The Year We Fell From Space
October 15th 2019 by Arthur A. Levine Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Liberty's parents are both interested in hiking, camping and out door pursuits; her mother writes about these things, and her father introduced her to astronomy. Liberty likes to draw star maps and create her own, modern constellations. Her father struggles with depression, and when the parents separate and he moves out, he doesn't follow through on visitations, and it's a long time until the girls see him. In the meantime, Liberty finds what she thinks is a meteorite that has crashed in the forest near the family's home, and finds comfort in discussing her situation with the rock. She has trouble getting along with others, and her former best friend has "excommunicated" her from the 6th grade because Liberty thinks dating and the fake weddings at recess are silly. Liberty thinks that she may have some of the same mental health issues that her father has, and she certainly has a lot of anger. Luckily, her mother does have her seeing a therapist, and the frequency of these appointments increases after Liberty gets angry and throws a toaster. Eventually, the girls get to spend time with their father again, but he has a new girlfriend and doesn't handle telling the girls very well. Liberty has an issue at school that she has to resolve, and she and her family have to work on finding a way forward with their new reality.
Strengths: This was a very realistic depiction of divorce and of dealing with a parent with depression issues. I liked that Liberty was able to be able to deal with neighbor boys who were mean to her in a kind way when their parents also got divorced. It was good to see a year of slow progress made by the family on their way to a new normal. I don't know that there are very many books about parents dating after divorce, but I would imagine this is a huge concern for tweens. I also appreciated that everyone was getting help, and that there are resources in the back of the book.
Weaknesses: This was a slow and introspective story, and it was a bit odd that Liberty talked to the rock and that it answered.
What I really think: There are so many books dealing with serious issues right now, and I can't buy them all. I think I will pass on this one because the story is slow moving, and this author's Me and Marvin Gardens doesn't circulate even though I rather enjoyed it.