by Meg Rosoff
I first read this book when it was published about 8 years ago, and instantly became a Meg Rosoff fan. I then read Just In Case, What I Was, There Is No Dog, and have been lucky to read an advance copy of Picture Me Gone (published 5th September 2013). I loved them all. There is now a film coming out of How I Live Now (release date at the moment October 2013), so I thought it was time to re-read the book.Well, it was better than I remembered. American teenager Daisy is sent to live with her cousins in England. She is quite happy with this, as her dad has married devil woman Davina (Daisy's mother died giving birth to Daisy), and they are expecting their own baby. Her dad seems to want her out the way so he can start a new life with his new family - at least that is how Daisy tells it. We also learn that Daisy has an eating disorder and has seen many a psychiatrist while growing up in America.
As soon as she arrives in England and is met by her cigarette-smoking young teenage cousin Edmond (well, one of the cousins, there are four of them in the family), she knows that she has found a new home. Her Aunt Penn flies off to Oslo on a mission of world peace, and leaves the cousins alone. The days are fun-filled, relaxing and hugely enjoyable. Even more so as Daisy finds she has a real connection with Edmond, and they fall in love. This is not to last however as war breaks out in England. Airports are closed down so Aunty Penn can't return home and Daisy can't get back to America. Soldiers take over the cousins' farm, and the girls are separated from the boys. So begins a tale of survival and heartache for Daisy as she struggles to look after her younger cousin in a country torn apart by war, and tries to be reunited with the rest of the cousins - especially Edmond.
The story is told from Daisy's viewpoint and is full of emotion, humour, anxiety and fear. There are no direct quotes - all conversations are recorded indirectly. This is how the whole book is and I wonder how this will translate onto the screen. I hope it works. A heartbreakingly wonderful story.
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