Torn Away

by Jennifer Brown

Overview

Jersey Cameron has always loved a good storm. Watching the clouds roll in and the wind pick up. Smelling the electricity in the air. Dancing barefoot in the rain. She lives in the Midwest, after all, where the weather is sure to keep you guessing. Jersey knows what to do when the tornado sirens sound. But she never could have prepared for this.
When her town is devastated by a tornado, Jersey loses everything. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with relatives she hardly knows -- family who might as well be strangers. In an unfamiliar place, can Jersey discover that even on the darkest of days, there are some things no tornado can destroy?
In this powerful and poignant novel, acclaimed author Jennifer Brown delivers a story of love, loss, hope, and survival.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316245517
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/06/2014
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Brown writes and lives in the Kansas City, Missouri area with her family. She is the author of Hate List, Torn Away, Thousand Words, Perfect Escape, and Bitter End.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2014
Gr 8 Up—Jersey's entire life falls apart in a matter of minutes: a tornado kills her mother and her half-sister Marin and destroys their house. Though Jersey's stepfather, Ronnie, survives, he's too shocked to think about parenting, and so the teen is dispatched to live with the extended paternal family she's never met. Her biological father abandoned her years ago and shows no sign of wanting to mend their relationship, and the rest of the family—her stepmother, stepsisters, and paternal grandparents—either ignore or belittle her. Jersey nourishes herself with sporadic cell phone conversations from friends but fears that the foundation her old life was built on is quickly disappearing. Brown depicts Jersey's reaction to a frightening, life-altering situation expertly, and the protagonist's voice is authentic. For instance, a moment where one member of the family extends a rare kindness by offering to take her for a haircut prompts Jersey to realize that from now on, every decision, whether getting a haircut or deciding to take driver's ed lessons, she's truly on her own—something that will resonate with readers. However, secondary characters are not as fleshed out. Because the book opens with the life-changing tornado, it's hard to get a true sense of her friends, and the new family members tend to be stock types (a brusque, sullen father; a cleavage-baring, party-loving stepmother). The book wraps up a little fast, considering how bleak Jersey's situation is throughout, but readers will be heartened to see glimpses of hope on the horizon. Overall, this is a wrenching story of the will to survive at any cost.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

02/24/2014
When a tornado strikes Jersey’s hometown in Missouri, her house and neighborhood are destroyed, but her losses cut much deeper: her mother and five-year-old sister are among the many killed in the storm. Jersey counts on her stepfather to help her pick up the pieces, but a shell-shocked Donnie claims he can’t raise her, sending her to live with her biological father, an alcoholic who abandoned Jersey’s mother when Jersey was a baby. Jersey is horribly mistreated by his family, and after she runs away, she ends up with her last chance: her estranged maternal grandparents. Jersey was raised to hate them, but she begins to understand that her mother’s version of events may have omitted some crucial information. Brown (Thousand Words) gives readers a true sense of the horror wrought by the storm and the agony of its aftermath; her ability to create rich, complex characters is once again in evidence. While the cruelty of Jersey’s father’s family is somewhat over the top, Jersey’s feelings are achingly real and relatable. Ages 12–up. Agent: Cori Deyoe, 3 Seas Literary Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

* "Vivid and emotional...Torn Away is a superb read."—VOYA, starred review

"This is a gut-wrenching and poignant look at the aftermath of natural disaster and the secrets that families keep, written with raw honesty and deep emotion."—Booklist

"Brown gives readers a true sense of the horror wrought by the storm and the agony of its aftermath; her ability to create rich, complex characters is once again in evidence."—Publishers Weekly

"Brown depicts Jersey's reaction to a frightening, life-altering situation expertly, and the protagonist's voice is authentic...Overall, this is a wrenching story of the will to survive at any cost."—SLJ

"This is a satisfying book that explores an intriguing situation: what happens to a girl who loses everything that meant anything, and who learns that there may be more love left in the world."—Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

Lauren Fortgang narrates Jennifer Brown’s heartrending novel. It’s impossible not to suffer along with 16-year-old Jersey Cameron as she survives a devastating tornado—only to experience further personal loss. The immediacy of Fortgang’s narration tears down the wall separating listener and story just as powerfully as the storm rips apart Jersey’s Missouri community. Each time Brown throws another sucker punch at the already down-and-out Jersey, Fortgang delivers the knife pain of regret and the dull ache of despair with vicious accuracy. Listeners will wonder how much more Jersey can endure just as Brown and Fortgang allow her a small measure of rest and healing. This captivating recording will engender deep feeling in listeners. C.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2014 - AudioFile

Lauren Fortgang narrates Jennifer Brown’s heartrending novel. It’s impossible not to suffer along with 16-year-old Jersey Cameron as she survives a devastating tornado—only to experience further personal loss. The immediacy of Fortgang’s narration tears down the wall separating listener and story just as powerfully as the storm rips apart Jersey’s Missouri community. Each time Brown throws another sucker punch at the already down-and-out Jersey, Fortgang delivers the knife pain of regret and the dull ache of despair with vicious accuracy. Listeners will wonder how much more Jersey can endure just as Brown and Fortgang allow her a small measure of rest and healing. This captivating recording will engender deep feeling in listeners. C.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2014 - AudioFile

2014-03-17
Jersey Cameron has lived her whole life in Elizabeth, Mo., where the weather is unpredictable, and complaining about it is a full-time job. When Jersey's mother and little sister perish in a tornado, Jersey finds herself rejected by her guilt-ridden, emotionally paralyzed stepfather. He sends her to live in a house full of hostile strangers comprising her alcoholic biological father, who left Jersey and her mother when Jersey was a baby; his boorish wife and her two spoiled daughters (the Cinderella connection won't be lost on readers); and Jersey's heartless grandparents. Jersey is immediately put to work washing everyone else's dishes and is made to sleep on a sofa on the porch (sleeping among the ashes must have been considered too obvious). After a particularly nasty fight with the evil stepsisters, Jersey runs away and finds herself with another set of strangers: her mother's estranged parents. Readers may find themselves wanting to throttle Jersey by the middle of the book; while Brown starts off doing a wonderful job depicting the grief and depression that comes with such a catastrophic loss, Jersey ends up sounding whiny. The novel's didacticism—Jersey continually reflects on how good she had it before the tornado, regretting sharp words she can't take back—also causes it to lose its edge. A lukewarm story about finding family and starting over. (Fiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews