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A review by purrsnikitty
The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle
5.0
I somewhat knew what I was getting into when I picked up this book, but I wasn't prepared for it to become one of those stories that I just could not put down.
My heart aches for every single character contained within these pages and yet is so full of peace at them having found one another. Trauma may never fully release its grasp on our bones, but it does not have to be the end of us. This book, even with its unfathomable canyons of despair and tragedy, showed that lights can shine even in the darkest of places, and that even the kindness of a stranger can be one of those lights.
I've started to write and deleted so many sentences in my attempt to express my feelings, and I just can't. This book filled me with fury, gratitude, sadness, hope, and helplessness, and I know that Jordan's story is echoed in so terribly many other children's lives in this world.
My only complaint, if I can really even call it one, is that some of the internal dialogue, especially of Nate, felt strange. Some of the word choice, such as people being described as "goofs" threw me out of the story a little, as did the number of people (from the kids to the adults) describing themselves as babies for crying. It wasn't enough to modify my rating, but it did come up quite a few times while reading. Much of the boys' internal dialogue was very similar to one another, and I wish we'd seen as much personality differences inside their heads as we saw outside.
My heart aches for every single character contained within these pages and yet is so full of peace at them having found one another. Trauma may never fully release its grasp on our bones, but it does not have to be the end of us. This book, even with its unfathomable canyons of despair and tragedy, showed that lights can shine even in the darkest of places, and that even the kindness of a stranger can be one of those lights.
I've started to write and deleted so many sentences in my attempt to express my feelings, and I just can't. This book filled me with fury, gratitude, sadness, hope, and helplessness, and I know that Jordan's story is echoed in so terribly many other children's lives in this world.
My only complaint, if I can really even call it one, is that some of the internal dialogue, especially of Nate, felt strange. Some of the word choice, such as people being described as "goofs" threw me out of the story a little, as did the number of people (from the kids to the adults) describing themselves as babies for crying. It wasn't enough to modify my rating, but it did come up quite a few times while reading. Much of the boys' internal dialogue was very similar to one another, and I wish we'd seen as much personality differences inside their heads as we saw outside.