Sweet, hereafter

Sweet, hereafter
By Angela Johnson
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010. 118 pgs. Young Adult

In the final installment on the Heaven trilogy, Shoogy has left home, not feeling like she has ever truly fit in there. While she does have friends who care for her, her biggest connection is with Curtis, even though there's a lot she doesn't know about him. Having fought in Iraq, Curtis has a lot that he won't talk about, and Shoogy never pushes him for more information, but she does witness the emotional impact war has left on him.

This book was a little hard for me to follow; it jumps back and forth between the present and the past, and I didn't feel like I knew what was going on until the last page--and while I don't want the book to give away the ending, in this case, I felt the effect was dizzying. This book is pretty short and doesn't really have the character development that I like, but it certainly gives the reader food for thought.

AE