In Those Who Save Us, Jenna Blum proved herself a master storyteller with brilliant insight into the spectrum of human emotion. Now, Blum turns her sights to the most intimate and mysterious of family relationships-that between twins-in her powerful and provocative second novel.
As a teenager, Karena Jorge had always been the one to look out for her twin brother Charles, who suffers from bipolar disorder. But as Charles begins to refuse medication and his manic tendencies worsen, Karena finds herself caught between her loyalty to her brother and her fear for his life. Always obsessed with the weather-enraptured by its magical unpredictability that seemed to mirror his own impulses- Charles starts chasing storms, and his behavior grows increasingly erratic . . . until a terrifying storm chase with Karena ends with deadly consequences, tearing the twins apart and changing both of their lives forever.
Two decades later, Karena gets a call from a psychiatric ward in Wichita, Kansas, to come pick up her brother, whom she hasn't seen or spoken to for twenty years. She soon discovers that Charles has lied to the doctors, taken medication that could make him dangerously manic, and disappeared again. Having exhausted every resource to try and track him down, Karena realizes she has only one last chance of finding him: the storms. Wherever the tornadoes are, that's where he'll be. Karena joins a team of professional stormchasers-passionate adventurers who will transform her life and give her a chance at love and redemption- and embarks on an odyssey to find her brother before he reveals the violent secret from their past and does more damage to himself . . . or to someone else
Book review by: Mary S
Copy obtained at the Solano County Library
Minor Spoilers Mentioned
I really got pulled into this book by Jenna Blum. The first part of the book was thrilling, fast paced and filled with great detail about life as a storm chaser through tornado alley. Karena's story weaved in well with the action and kept me turning the page. The relationships she established were entertaining, if not a little bit intrusive. I guess that happens when you're racing through tornado alley in a van.The chaos of the storms served as an appropriate backdrop for what the reader learns about Charles and his sickness. The book went on to describe Charles and Karena's lives as they were growing up. The chaos in his mind didn't move as swiftly as the first segment of the book, but it did make me think of what it would be like to be a spectator in his life. The author did a wonderful job of having Karena walk that fine line between helping and enabling. The mind is such a complex entity. I honestly don't know what I could have done if I were in Karena's shoes.
Unfortunately, the end wasn't much to my liking. I felt it lacked accountability. I found Karena's support system failing when she needed it most - from Kevin to Tiff. She was left to fend for herself despite the risk it posed to herself.
Overall, a very good read. I rated it 3 stars.
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