Drove to Victoria after picking up the paint for our bedrooms. My better half and the resident of the back bedroom hae the weekend free of workers in and outside of the house. However, I have a day long YA lit class tomorrow. I am fine with that, better than fine, actually, since I love meeting the students and talking about books all day long.
On the drive down, I finished SPLIT by Swati Avasthi (Knopf 2010). Jace has finally left his abusive father's house and driven straight through to his brother Christian's apartment. Christian had left home several years before and has not been in touch with Jace though he surreptitiously communicates with their mother. Christian is less-than-thrilled to see Jace. The two somehow manage to negotiate the relationship so that Jace can stay with Christian though both boys fear for their mother's safety.
How abuse permeates all the members of the family and then further permeates all of the different relationships the family members have outside the family is front and center here. Avasthi does a thorough job exploring the depths of this issue though the novel does not read at all like an issue driven story. Instead, Avasthi mines deeper into the personalities and emotions and actions of the two brothers and what motivates them, what prevents them from forming intimate relationships, how they react to stress, etc. As Jace and Christian learn to communicate with each other, to tell the truth to themselves and each other and those they love then there is HOPE. <395>
Next on the listening front is FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK...