Apart

Jessica's home life really sucks. Her dad, the Gunner, has taken off with his newest girlfriend, her mom's pilled out and drunk, and she's on her own caring for her autistic younger brother. She places in a personal ad to find her missing dad and Sween answers, thinking he's found him. Sween's wrong, but the letters continue. (No email or phone calls because Jess doesn't have a phone or computer.) Jess and Sween start caring about each other through their letters, seeming to fall in love. But when they meet, it turns out that they don't know as much about each other - or the people around them - as they thought they did. I read this book in one sitting, eagerly waiting for them to meet. The ending was not what I had hoped, but was realistic and painful. Definitely worth a read, especially since it's fairly short. I loved the picture that the authors painted of Jessica's dad, Gunner. And the fact that he had some redeeming qualities in spite of his all too obvious faults.