Review: What I Leave Behind

What I Leave Behind by Alison McGhee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"What do I say? Playa is a ghost girl and I'm a ghost boy and the little white gift bag is a ghost gift and we're sitting on the top stop in the dark, ghosts all around us." p. 189

Will walks to deal with his feelings, despair, anger, sadness, confusion, guilt, and abandonment. He's not willing to leave others behind; he cares for his employer, Major Tom, finding ways to make him feel "hip" and included. He leaves little gifts for his friend Playa, who is going to need to be tough. He also leaves a gift or two for the boy who lives on his path to work, "Little Butterfly Dude." Will even gives his cornbread trials to Superman, a homeless man near his walking path. Each of these people are like Will, they are adrift and need an anchor. Will's empathy is a powerful example of what one can do even when one feels like there is nothing much left.

This is a short read--there is text on only the right hand pages. The left have Chinese characters on them. Will talks about the Blessings store, so I wanted to think that that is what they are.


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