Books, both fiction and nonfiction, written about dysfunctional families are a common occurrence these days, but UP FROM THE BLUE is anything but common.  Through the eyes of 8 year old Tillie, Susan Henderson takes the reader on a bumpy road full of emotional potholes and less-than-tender experiences that last a lifetime.

WHAT HAPPENED TO TILLIE?

     UP FROM THE BLUE opens in 1991 with Tillie, now married and pregnant, and facing the familiar trauma of a new house, fighting back fear when her contractions begin weeks too early.  Her husband is away on business, she knows no one in the neighborhood, and the moving boxes remain unopened.  Alone, she has to cope with one of life’s most harrowing experiences, the birth of her child.

FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD

     Tillie’s fears drag out her memories of her authoritarian military father, her angry older brother, Phil, and her much loved but unstable mother, Mara.   Chapter one takes the reader on a walk through a little girl’s day when she and her brother must fend for themselves because Dad is away on business and Mom just can’t get out of bed.  Troubles at school, eating potato chip crumbs as a meal, and locking out the rest of the world seem normal to this little girl.

     Dad’s orders to Washington promise a new and fresh start, but even that promise is soon broken.  Left behind with a trusted family friend so her Dad and brother can cope with just one problem, Tillie waits two agonizing weeks before she is permitted to return to her family.  The new house seems to have swallowed her mother and no one will tell Tillie where’s she’s gone.

     Flashbacks mingle effortlessly with the here and now in this novel in which Tillie, troubled by her past, her own emotional stumbling blocks, and her desire to remain uncommunicative with her father, is forced by circumstances to once more turn to him for help.  Now the pain of pride is added to her concerns.

THE BEST PART

     Susan Henderson has written as her first novel a masterpiece.  Without doubt the naming of Tillie’s new daughter is the pièce de résistance of a wonderful read that has no disappointing pages.

RECOMMENDATION

     UP FROM THE BLUE tops my reading recommendation list for its readability and touching story.

     The mystery in UP FROM THE BLUE is not what happened to Tillie’s mother, but what happens to Tillie after she faces so many of the testing times life forces on children and adults.  This is a must read novel for everyone.

Copyright 2011 Michael Lamka