This is a really, thoughtful, tender story about Sam, a young, lonely child, living with her single, overworked, exhausted mother, a younger brother with special emotional needs, and a loving father who heart-wrenchingly flits in and out of her life. Despite, her loneliness, sadness and occasional dispair, she finds she has a talent for climbing, with all the pain, skill and determination that comes with it.

Overall, the story beautifully uses climbing not just as a metaphor for the rockiness of her life but also as a testament to how central a role it plays in her character development over a 12 year period.

I would definitely recommend this book to a book club!

My first book by this Author. I LOVED it! Sam is a 7 year old girl living with her mother and younger brother. She sees her father sporadically growing up. Rock climbing is her one passion and she is very talented at it. I felt for Sam and she will live in my heart for a long while. This is a beautifully written book and I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.