Every Sparrow Falling
Summary:
Be nice to the majority of people and they won’t bother you much. Don’t get too involved. Have a laugh but keep your distance.’ These are the words 16-year-old Cariad lives by. She’s just been placed in yet another foster home, this time with an elderly Christian couple in a small town off the coast of Northern Ireland.Cariad knows how to play this game. She’ll toe the line just enough that her new foster parents don’t ask what she gets up to when the sun goes down, just enough that they leave her alone. It’s easier that way. But when a boy at school disappears – presumed dead – and no one seems to care, it really bothers her. Then one night out walking on the clifftops, she sees him and he asks her to keep his secret. Don’t get too involved. Have a laugh but keep your distance. These are the words Cariad has lived by . . . until now. (Source: Publisher)
Edited by: Dublin City University
Comment:
The author weaves so many threads in this story that any reader will speed through it to see what will come of everything at the end. There is a cruise ship that crashes into the cliffs, a missing student and gay conversion therapy, on top of Cariad’s struggles with religion, faith and family. A hugely important part of this story is showing readers how damaging conversion therapy can be to a young person’s mental wellbeing. It also highlights the part that allies can play in supporting LGBTQ+ people every day. All of the plotlines come together, albeit bittersweetly, in the end, and the reader leaves the characters with some closure. This is a very appropriate novel for teenagers who may not have a typical family structure. It shows us that family does not have to consist of blood relatives – a sense of belonging can be gained from many places. (Source: Children’s Books Ireland Recommendations)