One Old, One New: Jessie Ann Foley

One Old, One New features two books - one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today, I am sharing two books by Jessie Ann Foley.

Sorry For Your Loss
Jessie Ann Foley
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Printz Honor winner and William Morris Award finalist Jessie Ann Foley’s latest YA novel is a comitragic coming-of-age story about an awkward teenage guy who, after the loss of his brother, finds healing and a sense of self where he least expected to.

As the youngest of eight, painfully average Pup Flanagan is used to flying under the radar. He’s barely passing his classes. He lets his longtime crush walk all over him. And he’s in no hurry to decide on a college path. The only person who ever made him think he could be more was his older brother Patrick, the family’s golden child. But that was before Patrick died suddenly, leaving Pup with a family who won’t talk about it and acquaintances who just keep saying, “sorry for your loss.”

But when Pup excels at a photography assignment he thought he’d bomb, things start to come into focus. His dream girl shows her true colors. An unexpected friend exposes Pup to a whole new world, right under his nose. And the photograph that was supposed to show Pup a way out of his grief ultimately reveals someone else who is still stuck in their own. Someone with a secret regret Pup never could have imagined.

Wow! All I have to say is

Sorry For Your Loss was such an exquisite portrait of a family caught in the throes of grief. The emotions, at times, were so palpable, I actually found myself rubbing my chest, because my heart physically ached.

Pup, my dear sweet Pup. As the youngest of the Flanagan clan, he was often overlooked. You had the sister moms, his older sisters, who were so much older than him, they never even lived under the same roof. And, then there was the second wave of kids - Annemarie, Patrick, and Luke. Though Pup enjoyed a closer bond with his three younger siblings, there was only one, who really saw him - Patrick, which was why Patrick's death was such a profound loss for him.

Pup was floundering in his grief, and continuing to let all these people in his life sort of treat him as an after thought.  But, then he got a little nudge, and that push Pup needed came from an unlikely source. After almost a year of trying different artistic mediums, Pup's teacher put a camera in his hands, and Pup was able to finally find his voice. It was really wonderful the way he was able to see things and share his feelings and pain via his art. I loved that this was part of his story for many reasons. One, because I really wanted Pup to find his thing. Two, because the drama with his unrequited love was awful, and he needed something to feel good about. Three, because it brought Abrihet into his life, and she was phenomenal for him.

This was definitely the story of Pup's coming of age, but it was also about family. The Flanagans were stuck in their grief. Some seemed ok, but many were suffering and dealing with the loss in unhealthy ways. It was Pup, with his newfound voice, who pushed the family to take those steps towards "getting through". Some of the things he was forced to do were excruciating, but necessary. His family may have been very avoidant, but the one thing they didn't lack was love for each other, and there was a lot of warmth in this story because of it.

I was so touched and impressed by this book, I immediately went to the library to check out more books by Foley. She did such a beautiful job painting these characters and crafting their story, and I know I am grateful to have had the opportunity to take this journey with Pup and his family.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

The Carnival at Bray
Jessie Ann Foley
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Historical
Publisher: Elephant Rock Productions
Rating: 4  out of 5 stars
Goodreads

It's 1993, and Generation X pulses to the beat of Kurt Cobain and the grunge movement. Sixteen-year-old Maggie Lynch is uprooted from big-city Chicago to a windswept town on the Irish Sea. Surviving on care packages of Spin magazine and Twizzlers from her rocker uncle Kevin, she wonders if she'll ever find her place in this new world. When first love and sudden death simultaneously strike, a naive but determined Maggie embarks on a forbidden pilgrimage that will take her to a seedy part of Dublin and on to a life- altering night in Rome to fulfill a dying wish. Through it all, Maggie discovers an untapped inner strength to do the most difficult but rewarding thing of all, live.

For as many years as she could remember, Maggie's life was constantly being disrupted so her mother could follow her latest love interest. It was an endless cycle of watching her mother fall in and out of love, and Maggie, inevitably, was left picking up the pieces. This time, Maggie was forced to relocate across the Atlantic, to the small Irish town of Bray. It was in these new surroundings that Maggie experienced some wonderful and devastating firsts, while also finding herself.

Another emotional read courtesy of Jessie Ann Foley. From the onset of this novel, I felt nothing by empathy for Maggie. My heart broke for her, when she was forced to leave her Nanny Ei, the most stable person in her life, and her Uncle Kevin, who she adored, to start anew in Bray. It's hard enough moving to a new place, but then she had the additional challenge of learning the cultural norms of her new home. The loneliness and isolation she felt was remarkable.

But she did find a friend in Dan Sean, the almost centenarian of Bray. It was lovely seeing her appreciation for all the years he had spent on the earth and the wisdom he had gathered during that time. They sat, and passed time together, but she sometimes sought his assistance in matters of the heart, which I found terribly sweet.

I also adored, Eoin. Eoin was a little bit broken due to his past with his mother, but he had the most tender heart. His love and loyalty to Maggie was a thing of beauty. He was key for Maggie. Knowing him, and being known by him, helped Maggie unlock a lot of things about herself.

I know from reading an interview, that Foley had not selected this time period in order to exploit the grunge scene, but I loved the way she wove the music and events of the era into the story. For Maggie, her love of music was knitted with her love for her Uncle Kevin. It was him, who brought her to her first club show, sent her care packages of Spin magazine, and tasked her with seeing Nirvana live in Rome.

This book was equal parts family drama and teen drama, which was heartfelt, emotional, messy, and realistic.

Do you have a favorite grunge band?

Let us know in the comments!