Just Fly Away

by Andrew McCarthy Narrated by Suzy Jackson

Overview

A debut novel about one girl's discovery of family secrets, first love, the limits of forgiveness, and finding one's way in the world, written with wisdom and sympathy by the bestselling memoirist, actor, and director. When fifteen-year-old Lucy Willows discovers that her father has a child from a brief affair, a eight-year-old boy named Thomas who lives in her own suburban New Jersey town, she begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her family and her life. Lucy can't believe her father betrayed the whole family, or that her mother forgave him, or that her sister isn't rocked by the news the way Lucy is. Worse, Lucy's father's secret is now her own, one that isolates her from her friends, family, and even her boyfriend, Simon, the one person she expected would truly understand. When Lucy escapes to Maine, the home of her mysteriously estranged grandfather, she finally begins to get to the bottom of her family's secrets and lies. Fans of the rebels and antiheroes in the novels of Rainbow Rowell, A. S. King, and Meg Wolitzer will welcome this sharp, observant new voice in young adult fiction

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Catherine Hong

…fantastic…The story's unexpected turns will keep readers rapt, and Lucy's voice—reserved, blunt, sarcastic—feels as bone true as that of any Y.A. character in recent memory. McCarthy has real insight into the way adolescents withdraw emotionally, wrapping themselves in protective cocoons of silence…It's a debut as stark and striking as the Maine landscape.

From the Publisher

Fantastic . . . The story’s unexpected turns will keep readers rapt, and Lucy’s voice—reserved, blunt, sarcastic—feels as bone true as that of any YA character in recent memory.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“McCarthy sensitively explores the difficult process of learning to accept loved ones despite their shortcomings.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A poignant, character-driven coming-of-age novel.”
—Kirkus Reviews
 
“This is a moving coming-of-age story for young adults who enjoy calm, character-driven reading. It is also a title that should be flying off the shelves.”
—VOYA

Kirkus Reviews

2016-12-26
Fifteen-year-old Lucy's world is rocked when her father confesses to her and her sister that they have a half brother, the result of a brief affair. Though their mother has been aware of the existence of Thomas, who's 8 and lives in their same New Jersey town, for many years and has made her peace with her husband's infidelity, Lucy reels when she learns about him. Her realistically described reaction of fury and indignation builds until she finally embarks on an impulsive road trip without telling her parents, ending up at her larger-than-life grandfather's house in Maine. This family drama is appealingly narrated in Lucy's wry, confessional voice, and a romance she stumbles into with her friend's stoner brother is sweetly fumbling and awkward. All the major characters seem to be white; musings about the ethnicities of various people Lucy encounters while on her clandestine trip, including a passage in which she wonders whether her own implicit bias might be at play in an interaction she has with a black man, underscore her new determination to seek out answers to questions that have gone unasked in her sheltered upbringing. A poignant, character-driven coming-of-age novel that, despite a too-tidy ending, will appeal broadly to teen readers. (Fiction. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171227746
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	03/28/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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