The Box Children

This is one of those books you'll read in one sitting and then sit and reflect over. The story is told in the form of 11-year-old Lou Ann's diary over a summer in the '60s. Her father, a womanizing drunk, her mother, arguably crazy, has suffered five miscarriages, represented by the "children", dolls Lou Ann keeps in a box and carries on conversations with. I was particularly touched by the way the author used the child's voice to portray adult situations happening to her... the innocent way she explained the adult things going on around her. There are several lines in the book that make you reread them, as you come to love and sympathize with Lou Ann. One in particular: "Mother said... she' make me wish I'd never been born. I think if I was going to wish that, I would have already." Another:"she tells me if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be alive. Now I can tell her the same." Lou Ann grows into a woman over a summer. Her voice, as the narrator, changes from the beginning from a child, to, in the final chapters, a young woman who has experienced a lifetime of trials and overcome them. I highly recommend this book.

I have been a lonely child. I have hungered for a connection to a parent that was too busy, too self- centered, too broken. I have known and loved imaginary playmates that were more real to me than the actual living, breathing world. I have been confused by the ways of grown ups to the point of desperation. Sharon Wyse has created a character that could've been me - or you - or her. Lou Ann's struggle to be seen and heard, to belong, to be cherished - is so utterly profound and immediate - that I still hear her voice in my head. Sharon Wyse lives up to her name - she gives us a little girl with a story that will echo in our hearts forever.

As a voracious reader, and a writer, I am rarely so impressed. Sharon Wyse's heroine speaks with a wholly original, and heartbreakingly true, voice; I simply cannot get it out of my head -- I want to personally, and permanently, rescue this child. On a literary level, the book is pure and brilliantly wrought. On an emotional one, it burrows to the deepest places -- taking the reader inside the mind and heart of an unforgettable young heroine, and what looks like an impossible-to-survive place, but maybe (thrillingly) isn't. Extraordinary.

There is not much I can say about this book.....whatever I say will never do this book justice. It was a wonderfully written book that sends chills down my spine and will do so for a long time. It is a book to which many people can relate...unfortunately. If Oprah still had her list, Ms. Wyse would be on the NY Times bestseller list for months....because this would be a pick, hands down. All I can say is "Thank you...Ms. Wyse."

Sharon Wyse's literary debut is an impressive one. To write a coming-of-age novel like this, finding an absolutely perfect voice for her 11 year-old narrator, as well as treating her young character with the respect she deserves is quite an achievement. Too many authors attempt this type of novel and wind up being offensively patronizing toward the children they depict. Wyse's insights, sensitivity and skills allow her to avoid such pitfalls.Set on a farm near a (very) small town in the Texas panhandle in the 1960s, the story is narrated by 11 year-old Lou Ann Campbell -- one of the most unforgettable, admirable characters the reader is likely to run across in contemporary fiction. She lives with her parents and her older brother -- and they're packing a lot of baggage. Her mother is decidedly -- and increasingly -- neurotic, taking out her frustrations with her philandering husband, her emotional damage caused by numerous miscarriages, and her feelings of being trapped in poverty out on her children, especially Lou Ann. Lou Ann's brother, with whom she has enjoyed a close sibling relationship, is maturing to the point where he sees his little sister as more of a liability than as asset -- and his sexual curiosity is making her increasingly uncomfortable as well. Lou Ann's father, despite being unfaithful to his wife, is not such an unlikable character. He doesn't understand his wife's emotional problems, and he too is frustrated with the family's economical stagnation, their dependence on his wife's parents (who own the land they farm) for stability.Lou Ann is convinced that the five babies miscarried by her mother are with her -- she has a cardboard box and five tiny dolls to live in it, the 'box children' of the title. She plays with them daily, confides in and talks with them. These conversations, along with the outlet of her secret diary (which makes up the novel) are the outlets that allow her to get through the events of the book, to find some meaning in her life, and to strengthen her determination to be strong and live her life as she sees fit.The novel is moving, well-written and compelling -- I had to pace myself, allowing myself to savor it, rather than rush through it. It's a reading experience I thoroughly enjoyed, and one I will never forget -- and one I can most highly recommend.Other great coming-of-age novels I've read in the past couple of years -- all of which I can recommend just as highly -- include THE ABSENCE OF NECTAR by Kathy Hepinstall, SHADOW BABY by Alison McGhee, and THIS IS GRACEANNE'S BOOK by P.L.WHITNEY.Read on...