The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
This is, without question, one of the best and most beautifully written books I’ve read in several years. Ava Lavender is a normal girl in many respects but with one major difference: she was born with wings. In an effort to determine where she came from, she recounts her family history and in doing so spans continents and generations. Love is gained and then lost, moments turn from thrills to devastation, and families break apart and come together again. Through four generations of women Ava comes to her own story in a stunning coming-of-age novel that embraces humanity in all it’s beauty and fragility. Walton’s use of lyricism, historical detail, powerful and unique characters, and magical realism combines to create a hearbreaking and unforgettable narrative. And though it was published as a young adult novel, its emotional maturity and expressive narrative make it an appealing read for both teens and adults.
Oh, and can I say what a gorgeous cover it has? I’m not normally a sucker for book covers, but this one had me craving it from the very first.
I’m not the only one who thinks Ava Lavender is the bee’s knees: both the School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly gave Walton’s book starred reviews, and other publications have been lining up, figuratively, to heap on the praise too. Here’s a short blurb from Booklist: “Readers should prepare themselves for a tale where myth and reality, lust and love, the corporal and the ghostly, are interchangeable and surprising.” And this one, from SLJ: “It is beautifully crafted and paced, mystical yet grounded by universal themes and sympathetic characters. A unique book, highly recommended for readers looking for something a step away from ordinary.” And Publishers Weekly calls it “entrancing and sumptuously written.” You get the idea.
I don’t want to give away too much of the book’s plot, although I will say that this book is heavily based in the emotional development of its characters, more so than any other contributing factor. Beginning with her great grandmother’s family in a rural village in early 20th Century France, the story migrates west to New York City and, eventually, to the Fremont neighborhood of historic Seattle. The women are the bones of the family, and their love and loss is recorded for reader’s to experience as the city they live in rejects and then accepts them in turn. For Seattle locals like Ruby and I, it’s always fun to read a story based in our home town, and Ava Lavender is no exception: Walton’s mix of whimsical fantasy and accurate historical depictions create a mythical new world that I can’t help but imagine intertwined with our real one.
A word of warning, however, about Ava: this book deals with very mature issues such as assault, both physical and sexual, as well as emotional distress. It is a hauntingly beautiful book, but it will not be for everyone. Teens who are interested should be aware of upsetting content. While it doesn’t have the violence of The Hunger Games or the sexual explicitness of adult novels, it touches on traumatic and complicated subjects that not all readers will appreciate. (I recently convinced our local library hero, Nancy Pearl, to read it, and she was distraught that it was published as a teen book at all. I’m looking forward to chatting with more her when she finishes it.)
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is Leslye Walton’s debut novel, and that can mean only one thing: more greatness must be yet to come. I can’t wait to read whatever comes next, be it a beast of a book or even the back of a cereal box. On her author website she says she’s working on her next novel, and I (figuratively) can’t wait.
Age 14+
Publisher: Candlewick (March 2014)
ISBN: 9780763665661
Copyright March 2014
Available as an eBook
Image from www.goodreads.com
