Raquel Camara Camara itibaren Texas itibaren Texas

Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers is a poignant tale dealing with love, family, and tragedy. Written solely with the small notes a single mother and her teenage daughter post to each other on their refrigerator, this novel is one that stands out amidst similar books in the form of texts, letters, and notes. The story starts off like a normal day would and ends the same way. Sure, there is conflict throughout the story but the conflict appears the way they would in life. There are no supernatural beings or dystopian societies. There are no cliques of high school girls or bad boys on motorcycles, and though I like all of these topics in the stories I read, life on the refrigerator door is better without it. The story is simple and refreshing. In the novel, the interactions the main characters have range from grocery lists to meaningful conversations to requests for allowance. It works. Through the small notes Claire jots down to her mother we learn about her grades, her best friends, her boyfriend problems, and her issues with her parents. Through the notes her mother sends to her, we learn about her qualms with her daughters and her daughters life, her hectic work as a doctor, her friends, and ultimately, her battle with cancer. Alice Kuipers is a technical genius in her writing. She stayed true to her objective of leaving the notes, even the difficult ones, on the door of the refrigerator. She also managed to make me, the reader, become interested in the lives of the main character, but less involved in the characters friends and surrounding. The visual aspects were beautifully done, the characters molded perfectly, and the plot of the story faithful to reality. The story is a must read for both teens and their mothers, but especially for anyone who has ever experienced the peril that comes with cancer. Though a quick read ( it took me less than two hours to finish it), its message is not one that becomes lost to you. Don't take what, and who, you have in your life for granted. One moment can change everything.

The contrast between a 'normal' and a 'psychotic' twin creates a dramatic tension which engages the reader to the point that time spent on this large novel slides by like a fascinating vacation.