Once in awhile I read a book that makes me think WOW! DIG by A.S. King is one of those books. As soon as I began reading I was wondering how she thought of this intriguing tale. It is an understatement to say I marveled at the intricacy of the story and the amazingly quirky characters she developed. To be honest there were times when I was tempted to put the book aside thinking the disjointed points of view would never coordinate into anything worthwhile. WOW! was I wrong.
DIG is the story of a dysfunctional family - not unlike many of our own. There's Gottfried and Marla whose five children produced five grandchildren. Secrets abound in this family to the extent some of these people don't know the others exist. Now that's pretty dysfunctional.
Looking for where they fit in and what life has in store for them creates a rollercoaster journey for readers. Each character begs to be heard and understood by those around them. Some are luckier than others, but most of them don't recognize the positives life has to offer. The negatives are plentiful and heartbreaking which will have readers forming emotional bonds to each and every one. The plight of the characters will entertain readers while the skilled craft of the writer will constantly creep in around the edges to stunt and amaze.
DIG was awarded the Michael L. Printz and Los Angeles Times Book Prize Awards which immediately puts it on the list of must haves for many teachers and librarians, but it's the story that should have readers flocking to libraries and bookstores to get a copy. Give this creative piece of work a few moments of your time and you will be hooked.
No comments:
Post a Comment