Between Mom and Jo--"People are liars and forever is a myth and the glue is only as good as the two ends it holds together"

Still not sad enough after reading Ashes to Asheville?  Then you should read Between Mom and Jo
  

Author: Julie Anne Peters


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Nick is just like any other junior high boy, but his family is different than some: he has two moms.  His biological mother is the practical one (who cooks and pays bills), and Jo is the one who takes him camping and fishing and teaches him about the facts of life.  When Mom and Jo separate, Nick is not allowed to see Jo anymore and is very upset at the loss of his parent.

What I think (in 250 words or fewer): 

--Hello, customer service?  I read We are Okay and Ashes to Asheville, and, I don't know, I need more sadness.  I just haven't cried enough for one week.

--More sadness, huh?  Well, we can certainly provide that.  How about we keep the theme of a loss of a parent?  This time, we'll make the kid an only child with no close friends.

--Ooh, that does sounds sadder!  Tell me more.

--How about we add alcoholism and cancer? Estranged family members? Homophobic teacher?

--Still not sad enough.  I want to experience the grief and the loss as it's happening.

--How about a super painful divorce that catches the kid off-guard? One parent can move out when the kid is at school!

--Go on . . .

--And one parent forbid him from seeing the other one with no legal recourse for the kid?

--That's pretty terrible, but--

--How about we have the kid get really depressed, angry, AND self-harm?

--Gosh, the only thing left at this point is to have the dog die.

--Oh, we are so ahead of you on this.  How about we kill the dog, and the cat, AND a bunch of fish for good measure?

--Now we're talking!  I think I will definitely ugly cry now.  Thank you for adequately depressing me.

--Well, we did make the ending hopeful, which may cause more ugly crying, in that bittersweet, confusing-emotions, heartwarming way.

--Excellent. I have my tissues ready.


This book is on the 2008 Rainbow Book List.


My final takeaway (in 75 words or fewer):  Engaging story, well-written, relatable main character, but just so darn SAD.  Yes, read it, but do not read it after reading a bunch of sad books in a row.  Unless you want to be depressed.  Do you want to be depressed???

For more (and less depressing!) Julie Anne Peters, read It's Our Prom (So Deal with It) and She Loves You, She Loves You Not.


Memorable quotes/passages from the book:

• "You want to believe that your life will be good and nothing will change and everything--everyone--goes on forever. It's not until later you find out people are liars and forever is a myth and the glue is only as good as the two ends it holds together" (hardback edition, pg. 39).
• "If she's not drinking again after everything that's happened, I can't imagine what would make her start" (pg. 78).
• "How could I know then that a watermelon seed would symbolize the last summer we'd ever have together?" (pg. 86).
• "I squeeze my eyes and vow to never forget this day, this second, this defining moment of my life" (pg. 232).

Other reviews: Bart's Book Shelf and Teenreads


This book is NOT available in the Greensboro Public Library.  To request that it be added to their collection, fill out this form.