Glimpse Carol Lynch Williams

Glimpse Carol Lynch Williams

"Just a year apart, the Chapman girls were as close as sisters could be. Hope could always count on Lizzie, and Lizzie could always count on Hope- always. But even sisters have secrets. Big secrets. And if Lizzie has her way, she'll take the biggest secret of all to her grave. With Lizzie in lockdown, can Hope discover the truth and save her sister, or is it already too late?"

The above is from the back cover. When I saw that the word secret appeared three times, I was like uh oh, this is going to be a tricky one to review. So I am sharing what's on the back to help set my parameters, in hopes of not revealing too much. to review.

Hope and Lizzie have always had and needed each other. Their dad died when they were very young and their mom is an alcoholic. Everything changes when Lizzie tries to kill herself and is hospitalized. Lizzie refuses to speak. Hope must figure out Lizzie's secret on her own, in order to save her.

Hope pays attentions like never before, adding up all the pieces. She dissects everything, going the way back to before their dad died.

Through Hope's memories, the reader gets to know the sisters and understand their bond. Williams goes for the slow reveal with the secrets and there are clues along the way. Its very well executed. Its takes Hope awhile to figure everything out, she's not blind to the truth, but she's only 13 yrs old. Hope has yet to face such an ugly truth and she has a hard time seeing it for what it is.

Gimpse can be read in one sitting, if you are emotionally reading for it. Its beautiful, sad and powerful novel written in verse. I don't read novels in verse often. When I read one as good as Glimpse, I always wonder why that is. This is one of my favorite realistic fiction novels of 2010. I highly recommand it for fans of Ellen Hopkins.

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