Review: Up From the Blue by Susan Henderson

Title: Up From the Blue

Author: Susan Henderson
Genre: Fiction, adult
Published: 2010
Source: Crazy Book Tours

Summary: Tillie is about to have her first baby, but her husband is away on business, and they have just moved back to Washington where she grew up. Scared and alone, she does the only thing she can think of, which is to call her father whom she hasn't spoken to or seen in years. When he arrives at the hospital, the painful and difficult memories of her childhood rush back, and the "year that changed everything." The story then alternates between present day at the hospital, where she is delivering 6 weeks early, and her childhood, which was disrupted by a severely depressed and manic mother, an angry father, and an aloof brother, all caused by the stresses and sadness that resonates with her mother. Tillie clings to hope, and tries to understand what's wrong, all the while acting out and behaving poorly as a result of the problems inflicted by her mother at home.

My Thoughts: WOW! What an incredible novel, and a debut one at that! I loved this book so much and got completely and entirely wrapped up in it while reading. Now this is what I call a story!

The story is one of family, love, hope and loss. It's a story of mental illness destroying a family. It's a story of a daughter, so painfully devoted to a mother that is entirely too far away. It's a story of a dysfunctional family and a father trying to hold things together. It's so many things, and stirs up so many emotions. My heart broke for this family.

I loved Tillie and felt so much pain and sadness for her while she struggled to find out what was going on with her family, in particular, her mother. She was hopeful, hopeless, sad, funny, but always full of life. I think the best way to sum up Tillie is to tell you that, in the middle of her school play, she bursts out of the side of the stage and runs up and down the aisle in her yellow brick costume, and laughs all the while, despite the fact that she "destroyed" her school play (really, I think she made the school play). Her antics are, in large part, due to the dysfunctional home life she has.

All of the characters are incredibly three-dimensional and real. Their personalities, heartbreaks and emotions are completely evident and palpable, and they are drawn out so well. I genuinely felt as though these were real people. They are some of the most memorable and realistic characters I have ever encountered, Tillie in particular. She is easily one of my favorite characters of all time.

I could go on and on about this book, but know that there are many twists and turns, ups and downs, and that you will be utterly surprised by some of the things that happen. It is, by far, one of my favorite books of 2010. It brought out so many emotions and I felt deeply connected to, and invested in, Tillie's life. I cannot recommend this one enough!

My Rating: 5/5