Set in the 1990’s, we meet April when she is 16 years old and living in a small town in New York State. Her mother left the family long ago and her father has left April to fend for herself in his motor-less motorhome while he moves in with his girlfriend and her son. April's boyfriend Matty talks of marriage offering a future she has no interest in. Margo, an ex-girlfriend of her father, serves as a surrogate mother. Her only true solace is her music – she sings, plays guitar and writes her own songs, which document her difficult life. When life gets too unbearable, she flees, heading to Ithaca, which starts her on a difficult road where she tries to not only survive but perform her music. Throughout her short and long stays in different places across the country, she meets a range of kind and not-so-kind people.
The People We Keep is a book that grabbed me by the heart. Author Allison Larkin takes us along with April on her journey and the people she meets along the way. It is a beautiful story that will bring out the tears while rooting for this young woman who has lost a lot yet through new and old friends, has amassed more than she realizes in her search for home.
Rated 4.25 stars.
Fiction / Coming-Of-Age.
Publication Date: August 3, 2021.
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