(Image from Barnes & Noble)

London Castle misses her big brother every day.  Ordinary things—the sight of his car, the smell of his aftershave, the memory of his laughter—bring him back to her, but only long enough to remind her that Zach is gone forever.  Dead at sixteen.  London will never wrestle with him, never giggle with him, never fight with him ever again.  And it's all her fault. 

Zach's death has broken not just London, but her parents as well.  Her dad tries, but he's distant, always absorbed in his work.  And her mother?  She hasn't spoken one word to London since the day Zach died.  She won't even look at her remaining child.  London knows she deserves the silent treatment, but she longs for her mother's attention anyway.      

As London claws her way out of the well grief has dug in her heart, she finds strength in unexpected places.  With this new found power, she may finally be able to come to terms with what really happened the day Zach died and maybe—just maybe—find the redemption she's been seeking ever since.  

If you've read Carol Lynch Williams before, you know the YA author doesn't do light and fluffy.  Every book she writes makes a solid impact.  Her newest, a novel-in-verse titled Waiting, is no exception.  It might not be as lyrical as Glimpse, as haunting as Miles From Ordinary, or as memorable as The Chosen One, but it's just as affecting.  I would have liked more originality from this one, true.  Overall, though, I found it as well-written and powerful as Williams' other novels.  It's a quick read, but one that will stick with you for a good long while.      

(Readalikes:  Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), sexual innuendo and mature subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find