Hugging the Rock
by Susan Taylor Brown
Published by Tricycle Press
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
Rachel's mother never wanted to be married and she never wanted to be a mother. Her life is complicated because she is both and has a bipolar disorder. When Rachel's mother runs away, Rachel retreats into her own, lonely world, away from her friends, school and her father.
Rachel's father has always been distant, but he is a rock. He's stable, loves his daughter and is kind. He's doing the best he can in a difficult situation. Rachel doesn't understand her father or her family but learns the secrets that made her who she is and made her family who they've become. She learns about a father's love and his willingness to learn to parent a motherless daughter.
Brown's novel, Hugging the Rock, is almost a narrative diary of Rachel's loss and recovery from losing a parent. It's a valuable story that young people will identify with and learn from.
I don't think the story has the emotional punch it could have had, if it had been written in a more traditional form. And I'm concerned about Rachel's age and emotional situation when she learns that her mother didn't want her. It's a lot to handle for a young girl going through huge loss she's experiencing.
Armchair Interviews says: Kids with similar family issues will overlook the novel's flaws and learn from Brown's story.