Lately, all the books I’ve read have been murder-mystery novels. I decided to take a break and read a regular fiction, so I picked up Williwaw by Tom Bodett.

I love this book. I’ve been reading plot driven books for so long I forgot what it was like to connect with a character (it’s refreshing and makes me wonder why I’m so obsessed with murder-mystery novels). So far this is a simple story about a couple of kids who get into some trouble by just being kids, and are trying hard not to get caught. I’m only a third of the way into the book, but there’s some heavy foreshadowing that the kids are going to end up in some real danger.

Bodett is a brilliant writer. The words these characters say and decisions they make remind me of what I was like when I was 12 and 13. I usually barf (yep that’s right, barf) when I start reading another story about a teenager whose parents are gone (it’s an overused way to write about a troubled teenage life . . . aren’t the teenage years troublesome enough without havening to kill off the kid’s parents?), but the situation these two are living in is unique to me, so I’m curious about their way of life (they live in a bay in Alaska and are almost completely cut off from other teenagers).

I’ll let you know what I think when I’m done with the book, but I’ve read enough that I can recommend it.

Williwaw
by Tom Bodett