ARC (Advance Reading Copy). Published October 2, 2012. Roaring Book Press. 232 pp.
I couldn’t decide if I really wanted to keep reading, or give up due to boredom. I stuck it out and can only say it was definitely not worth it.
Fans of Emily Dickinson may find some joy in it while those like myself, who barely remembered reading her work in high school, will completely miss all the seemingly obvious references to her poetry. In a nutshell, Claire is very upset because her mother committed suicide and left her to deal with finding the body. She didn’t deal very well, and is now in Amherst, Massachusetts (former home of Emily Dickinson) with her father hoping to finish up her second attempt at her senior year of high school. Claire finds herself drawn to the Emily Dickinson Museum, and spends her evenings sneaking into it.
While wearing Emily’s priceless dress, she is startled out of her reverie by Tate, her English student teacher. The two of them run out of the Museum, into the night, then spend the rest of the book trying to figure out how to return the dress. Hmmm. Has anyone ever heard of the U.S. Post Office? But, I digress…
Intermingled with what to do with the missing dress is the mystery of how Claire’s former best friend Richy disappeared. Clues seem to fall into place, but between all that was going on with Claire’s rambling thoughts, Emily’s poetry, Claire’s poetry, as well as Tate’s elusiveness, I had rapidly lost interest.
So, I’ll leave it up to you readers to see if you want to Read it or Not. I should have Not.
You Decide: Should I Read it or Not? 