One summer chasing tornadoes could finally change Jane's life for the better. Seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister can't quite admit her mother's alcoholism is spiraling dangerously out of control until she drives drunk, nearly killing them and Jane's best friend. Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left the problems at home years ago for college. A summer with him and his tornado-chasing buddies may just provide the time and space Jane needs to figure out her life and whether it still includes her mother. But she struggles with her anger at Ethan for leaving home and feels guilty--is she also abandoning her mom just when she needs Jane most? The carefree trip turned journey of self-discovery quickly becomes more than Jane bargained for, especially when the devilishly handsome Max steps into the picture. I really enjoyed The Waiting Sky. I think it was just what I'd been looking for. It wasn't too heavy or meaningless, and there weren't any really irritating main characters. Jane is seventeen and lives with her mother, who is an alcoholic, in Minnesota. Her older brother Ethan left home five years previously to go to University, and Jane feels like he abandoned them. Since then, she's had to cope with her mother's problems and has been neglecting herself, putting her mom's health ahead of her own life. That all changes when Jane, her mom, and Jane's best friend Cat are in a car accident when Jane's mom is driving drunk, and they're nearly all killed. Cat gives Jane an ultimatum - sort yourself out or we're not friends anymore. So Jane decides to go live with her brother in Oklahoma for the summer. This is where the real story kicks in. Ethan is a METEOROLOGIST (awesome) and is a storm chaser. He's involved with this team (the Torbros) who go around Tornado Alley chasing tornadoes, in order to get scientific information. The team, who were great, were Stephen, Victor, Mason, Ethan, and Hallie. Stephen is the leader, basically, and wants it all to run smoothly. Victor is Stephen's brother and he's been suffering from PTSD after getting caught in a really bad storm and getting injured. Mason is the science geek type who runs the equipment, and he was cute. He was always trying to find a girlfriend on the road who liked sci-fi and the weather. Hallie was a Texas girl who liked alcohol - a lot. I liked her at first, but later on she started to irritate me. When she started dating Ethan, I knew this was a bad match. Jane tried to stop it, but obviously she couldn't, and got a load of "this is none of your business" etc.. Ethan was totally awesome, except when he got all self-righteous about what Jane should do regarding her mother. Also, Ethan was hot. ;-) I really liked Jane. She was smart, headstrong, and not afraid to stand up for herself. She really cared about her mom, despite her problems and the fact she was bringing Jane down with her. She always thought she was doing what was best and had her mom's best interests at heart. I'm really glad Jane stood up to her mom in the end, although I do think this could have been better resolved. Her romance with Max was really sweet and well done, and Max was a great guy who obviously really liked Jane. It was lovely to see her open up to him and realise that he could help her, even when she didn't want to listen. Finally, Lara Zielin's writing style was lovely. It was very atmospheric and she described the twisters with descriptive imagery and language. I also liked how she used the twisters to signify the chaos in Jane's life. Overall, this was a fantastic read, and I hope to read more from Lara Zielin in the future. That cover is absolutely beautiful! Rating: A |
