The Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner

The Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Release Date: March 31st 2014
Publisher: Algonquin Books

Just when everything seems to be going wrong, hope—and love—can appear in the most unexpected places.

Summer has begun, the beach beckons—and Francesca Schnell is going nowhere. Four years ago, Francesca’s little brother, Simon, drowned, and Francesca’s the one who should have been watching. Now Francesca is about to turn sixteen, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. Meanwhile, her best friend, Lisette, is moving on—most recently with the boy Francesca wants but can’t have. At loose ends, Francesca trails her father, who may be having an affair, to the local country club. There she meets four-year-old Frankie Sky, a little boy who bears an almost eerie resemblance to Simon, and Francesca begins to wonder if it’s possible Frankie could be his reincarnation. Knowing Frankie leads Francesca to places she thought she’d never dare to go—and it begins to seem possible to forgive herself, grow up, and even fall in love, whether or not she solves the riddle of Frankie Sky.

This book was just so beautiful to me. I'd heard such high praise about Gae Polisner's first book, but have never read it. So, I was sort of going into this one blind as to the the author's writing style. Which, lets face it, can change from book to book anyways. There was this sense of wariness heading in, because this synopsis is one where I felt the novel could truly go either way(I've read a lot of those lately, haven't I?). This one, though, I consider to be a new favorite for me.

First, you have Frankie, who from what I could tell is pretty alone in the world. She has a mother who is lost in her own head and obsessed with volunteering at the Drowning Foundation and pretty much ignoring Frankie. Then, you have her dad, who she suspects is cheating on her mother with the woman across the street. Finally, you throw in a best friend that is pretty much ignoring her for the first part of the summer in favor of hanging out with a boyfriend who is far more fit for Frankie in the first place. Yes, she is very much alone, that is until she get's a job as mother's helper to a woman named Brooke and her lovely son, Frankie Sky, who bears a shocking resemblance to Frankie's brother that died in the ocean when she was twelve.

Meeting Frankie Sky is where the book really begins to take off for Francesca/Frankie. This small four year old boy really gives Frankie a jump start into finding her way to forgiving herself and moving on to learn that the death of her brother really wasn't her fault. Although, I won't get too much into that as I don't want to give away the story to y'all. I will say that it is a wonderful read, one that will stay with me for a long, long time. The Summer of Letting Go is a new favorite for me and I will most certainly be recommending to anyone and everyone, a cannot-put-down read. I found it to be a truly inspirational tale of love and hope, of friendship and forgiveness. Gae Polisner has certainly got herself a new fan!