The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance

Cynnie can take care of herself—and more importantly, she can take care of her little brother, Bill. So it doesn’t matter that her mom is drunk all the time. Cynnie’s got her own life. Cynnie’s the one Bill loves more than anyone. Cynnie’s the real mother in the house. And if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it’s that she’ll never, ever sink as low as her mother. But when things start to fall apart, Cynnie needs a way to dull the pain. Never say never.

This unflinching look at the power of addiction is the story of one girl’s fall into darkness—and the strength, trust, and forgiveness it takes to climb back out again.

Cynnie takes care of herself—and more importantly, she takes care of her little brother, Bill. So it doesn't matter that her mom is drunk all the time. Cynnie's got her own life. Cynnie's the one Bill loves more than anyone. Cynnie's the real mother in the house. And if there's one thing she knows for sure, it's that she'll never, ever sink as low as her mother.

But when things start to fall apart, Cynnie needs a way to dull the pain.

Never say never.

This unflinching look at the power of addiction is the story of one girl's fall into darkness—and the strength, trust, and forgiveness it takes to climb back out again.

KLIATT

Thirteen-year-old Cynnie has an alcoholic mother who runs a stream of unsavory boyfriends through her bedroom, a three-year-old brother named Bill with Down syndrome, a friend named Snake who frequently appears with mysterious bruises on his face, and the ability to hold all her rage inside by hiding out in a tree house where she can watch the action but not participate. Her world falls apart, though, when her cranky grandparents arrive to take Bill away in the hopes that Cynnie's mother will take some control of her life. Bill is the only inhabitant of Cynnie's world whom she loves. After Bill's departure, Cynnie begins to follow in her mother's footsteps, drinking to relieve the pain and trying to attract the attention of one of her mother's younger, more appealing lovers. She runs away with Snake, kidnaps Bill, wrecks Snake's car and breaks his heart. This is only the beginning of Cynnie's year, however, because now, back with her mother, she wears a cumbersome cast, is a pariah, and is forced to attend Alcoholics Anonymous. The year is the story of her slow recovery from her slide into addiction. Told in spare prose, the novel reveals the complex world of the teenage alcoholic and why someone who despises her mother's weaknesses might follow her lead. With the help of AA and taking responsibility for her own actions, Cynnie gets a chance to make some amends and carve out a tenuous future for herself. An excellent novel for older teens and probably useful for younger teens who face similar problems.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of the young adult novel Becoming Chloe, as well as the critically acclaimed adult novels Electric God, Walter's Purple Heart, and national besteller Pay It Forward. She lives in California.