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A review by sammyisobsessed24
The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker
5.0
I cannot express how very much I loved this book.
The First Day of Spring is a dark, painful story, but it is also a beautiful one. Chrissy is eight years old; she's killed a little boy. She's a murderer, but she is also a child in an abusive home with a mother who starves her of food and affection. She has no control over her life and finds control in the horrific act she commits.
The story bounces between Chrissy's POV at eight years old, and the grown-up version of her now called Julia, who has a child of her own. She has a five-year-old daughter, Molly, who she loves more than anything and does everything to protect. She's haunted by the specters of her past, from her crimes, the pain she's caused, and the pain she's endured.
Nancy Tucker's debut fiction novel paints a very nuanced picture of child neglect and abuse and the dangerous results it can have. It forces the reader to consider forgiveness and who is worthy of it. When children commit horrible crimes, people quickly label them evil incarnate. But there's always a much more complicated reason kids do bad things. Often, it points to their parents and caregivers—untreated psychological issues. Something horribly wrong is happening in their home environment.
At the beginning of the book, Chrissy is a terrifying, mean child. But it's quickly clear there's so much more to her than that. Despite everything, I felt so much for this little girl and Julia, who wants to provide a good life for her kid and reckon with her past.
I know this book will stay with me for a long time.
The First Day of Spring is a dark, painful story, but it is also a beautiful one. Chrissy is eight years old; she's killed a little boy. She's a murderer, but she is also a child in an abusive home with a mother who starves her of food and affection. She has no control over her life and finds control in the horrific act she commits.
The story bounces between Chrissy's POV at eight years old, and the grown-up version of her now called Julia, who has a child of her own. She has a five-year-old daughter, Molly, who she loves more than anything and does everything to protect. She's haunted by the specters of her past, from her crimes, the pain she's caused, and the pain she's endured.
Nancy Tucker's debut fiction novel paints a very nuanced picture of child neglect and abuse and the dangerous results it can have. It forces the reader to consider forgiveness and who is worthy of it. When children commit horrible crimes, people quickly label them evil incarnate. But there's always a much more complicated reason kids do bad things. Often, it points to their parents and caregivers—untreated psychological issues. Something horribly wrong is happening in their home environment.
At the beginning of the book, Chrissy is a terrifying, mean child. But it's quickly clear there's so much more to her than that. Despite everything, I felt so much for this little girl and Julia, who wants to provide a good life for her kid and reckon with her past.
I know this book will stay with me for a long time.