WHERE THE HEART SHOULD BE by Sarah Crossan
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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.
The publisher’s summary
In 1847, everything in Ireland was falling apart—but sixteen-year-old Nell was falling in love. Carnegie Medal winner Sarah Crossan’s first historical novel-in-verse is a suspenseful and heartbreaking story of love, family, and the forces that can destroy us or bind us forever. For fans of Joy McCullough, Elizabeth Acevedo, Malinda Lo, and Ruta Sepetys.
Ireland is starving, and a poor Irish scullery maid falls in love with the British heir to the land. Can their romance stay hidden during the devastating famine? The potatoes are black, people are dying, and in the midst of it all, Nell must do everything she can to keep her family together and everyone she loves alive.
It is hard to tell a love story
and also the story of a people
being torn apart.
My recommendation
In pithy, raw verse, Nell observes the horrific effects of starvation and the terrifying spiral toward revolution prompted by the grotesque imbalance of wealth and power. Crossan conveys the humanity of each character, including Nell’s family and the prickly Mrs. Kennedy and of course Nell’s beloved, Johnny, allowing readers to fall in love with each of them and their hearts to break along with Nell’s as the brutal conditions lead to irrevocable consequences. A must-read for YA fans of historical fiction and/or novels-in-verse.
Susan the Librarian 