FAMILY SOLD SEPARATELY

Author: Kate Long ISBN: 9780345479679 9/2008 FICTION Publisher: BALLANTINE

On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Katherine wants only three things: a smidge of social grace, the body of Courteney Cox, and two parents. What she has instead is an almost complete lack of friends, a pudgy figure, and one extremely eccentric, nearly blind grandmother named Poll. Since Katherine’s father died and her mother disappeared, Poll is her only family. And not only does Poll buy all of Katherine’s clothes, but she forbids her to leave the house unless it’s absolutely necessary. Would a chance to go to Oxford count? But the bigger question is: How can she abandon her grandma? Just when Katherine has resigned herself to a lifetime of watching daytime television, sparring with Poll, and visiting the town library for “fun,” along comes a handsome, magnetic young man named Collum, who claims to be Katherine’s long-lost cousin. But as Katherine is about to learn, when it comes to family, things aren’t always as they seem.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Kate Long's FAMILY SOLD SEPARATELY is touching and sweet, achingly heartbreaking in spots but uplifting in others. It is a whole spectrum of emotions, a true coming-of-age story.

Kat is living in unusual circumstances. It's difficult enough being a teenager, but a teen who lives with her wild, nearly blind, half-insane grandmother and is chunky and almost totally friendless is one who has more than the usual share of issues. With Poll, the grandmother, and an weird character named Dogman comprising almost all of her social interaction it's no surprise that Kat is at loose ends. She yearns to be "normal" but is there ever any "normal" for someone in her position?

The interesting part of this story is Kat herself. She is an adventurous spirit and sees the possibilities open to her if only she can make them part of her reality. It's tough going, especially with Poll tripping over the dog and knocking herself unconscious and a half-brother suddenly appearing, so she hardly stands a chance. But she perseveres and, in the end, I really liked Kat.

This is by no means a light-hearted romp, even though some of Kat's situations do sound comical. There are some very serious issues discussed on the pages of this book. One, bulimia, is given a little more levity than I would have liked but I can only mention that. Perhaps for another reader the topic might be discussed seriously enough; it is a personal call but worth mentioning.

While I wouldn't read Kat's story again, I can say I couldn't put it down. I cared about this young woman. I wanted to see her succeed, and I couldn't stop reading until I found out just what happened to her. FAMILY SOLD SEPARATELY is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

Kay James