Review: Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Title: Love & Leftovers

Author: Sarah Tregay

Publisher:  HarperCollins Children’s Books

Publication Date: 12.27.11

Pages: 304

Genre: Contemporary, Poetry

Series: No

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: B

Summary (from Goodreads):

My wish
is to fall
cranium over Converse
in dizzy, daydream-worthy
love.

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.

By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? Can you even know it until you've lost it?

Review:

Let me begin by saying I was not expecting this book to be told entirely in poetry format. I actually knew little about this novel before getting it in the mail, but what girl doesn’t love a good coming of age story? The way Sarah Tregay writes this tale is beautiful and poignant, but I think the story may suffer a little from the way it’s told.

A story told entirely in the poetic form is daring and revolutionary. It took me a little while to get into the story because I think my brain has become stuck on one format of storytelling in novels, and the shift took me by surprise. Once I got past that, I started to remember my love of poetry. There is something so simplistic and beautiful about poetry, and that really enhances the story here. Poetry is the closest form of written art in my book; instead of hanging pictures, Tregay hung words.

My biggest complaint is the serenity of this story. Forgive me for going into metaphor overload, but this story like a lake when the sun is shining and it’s 80 degrees outside. It’s peaceful and calm. There may be a breeze that makes the waves ripple along the surface a little, but there were no huge rapids or twists. There were no surprises and short of the format, nothing new. I didn’t have any “Oh, my God—did that really just happen?!” moments.

Please don’t get me wrong—this book is very good, and I do recommend it. But I don’t recommend going into it thinking this book will be exciting. It’s paced and sweet and light, but it’s not as meaty a story as I would prefer.

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