“This book caught my attention because of the cover. I was trying to pick up a book, and it's soft blue color really caught my attention. I know I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but even the title seemed calming.
Even though the title may seem calm, there is a lot of chaos happening. Reuben has asthma and is part of a very weird family in Mennesota. He lives with his dad and he doesn't have a mother figure. All gets messed up when Reuben's older brother Davy, kills two intruders. Davy runs away from trial so the police and his family go travel to look for him.
They find Davy and finally come back to Minnesota without him. Davy comes back with Sara, a girl who was sold off from her dad in Utah to a man, named Jupe, who was very demanding and violent. As Davy was about to leave, Jupe comes with a rfle and shoots Reuben's dad. Reuben comes to save him and he gets shot in the chest. Reuben blacks out and he finally feels freedom. He can breath normally and is about to dive in a pool with his dad. This scene really touched me, because the simplicity of life is really hard to acquire. Many people associate happiness with complexity, but really it is in the simple things.
When Reuben wakes up and finds out his father is dead, I was really surprised. I thought that Reuben would be dead because he was shot in the chest, and his dad was only shot in the side. I realized that the power of love that parents have for their kids is very powerful. This book was written for Enger's son, who also has asthma as to encourage him to live his life to his potential. This book was very touching because I knew the author wrote it for his son. ”