Review: Phantom Limbs

Phantom Limbs by Paula Garner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How can a book be funny and about grief at the same time? This one is both and heartbreaking, and encouraging, too. I loved it.

Otis is such a BOY, he thinks about girls, well, one girl. He is funny, exceptionally well written (a poet), and a swimmer. Grieving the loss of Mason, his little brother, and the girl/best friend/first love who left after Mason died and hasn't contacted Otis in three and a half years, he is stunned to find out she is coming for a three week visit.

Dara, his swim coach and best friend is not happy about the interruption to the training schedule. Dara had been an Olympic hopeful until an accident cost her part of an arm. Now she is training Otis. She's gruff, stand offish, and struggles with phantom limb pain.

As Otis's worlds collide and start to blend, learning about the past will be difficult. Almost as difficult as navigating the future.

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