THE POSSIBILITY OF FIREFLIES

In an achingly sad debut, Paul tells the story of 14-year-old Ellie Roma. In a first-person narrative, Ellie reveals herself to be an intensely thoughtful and perhaps overly optimistic girl with terrible family problems. Her mother is clearly unredeemable: She is a divorced alcoholic who has no qualms about physically and verbally abusing her two daughters. Ellie’s older sister Gwen intentionally pushes all of her mom’s buttons, leading to frequent bouts of violence. Ellie falls in love with the 20-year-old boy who temporarily moves into the neighborhood. He is gentle with Ellie and recognizes her sensitivity, kindness and many special qualities. Ultimately, Ellie realizes that Gwen is going to repeat their mother’s cycle of anger, substance abuse and self-destruction, and Leo helps Ellie leave her home and go to her father. There, she is welcomed with open arms, a great relief for the reader. This sensitively written story of a young teen trying to understand the world and her place in it is immediately gripping and emotionally intense. Leo may be a bit too good to be true, but it is a comfort to realize that someone is in Ellie’s corner. Highly recommended. (Fiction. YA)