Above Us Only Sky (2015) by Michele Young-Stone was a beautiful, emotional
book. I loved the relationship between the main character and her grandfather,
and the way the story kept referring back to the experience of the grandfather
and his family during violent, dangerous times of upheaval when he was a
child.
The conceit -- that the women of this family had a genetic
'gift' of being born with wings (a gift that is of course viewed with suspicion
and medical alarm) -- was a lovely one that was woven well into the story
without it being the main topic. This wasn't a fantasy book, but rather a
fiction book about family and heritage with a fantasy twist (sometimes called
magical realism).
I'm excited to read Young-Stone's new book, Lost in the
Beehive, coming out this April, which looks like it will focus on friendship
and mental health issues with just a twist of magical realism very similarly to
Above Us Only Sky.
“I felt guilty because I was upset by the loss of one friend when the Old Man had lost nearly everyone he loved. Loss, I soon learned from him, is not measured in numbers. It's not comparative. It's in here. I'm touching my chest now.”
Keep reading! Beth
