*4.75 stars

I loved this book so much. The writing was amazing, each of the characters maintained a set of traits and behaviors throughout the entire book, and the story was intriguing and interesting. It centers around a poor family in the late 1940s.

This story is told through the eyes of Elvira, who is the daughter of Connie and Ray Witsil. Ray, a drunk, abandons the family to enlist in the army. Within a few months, the family receives a letter that tells them that he is MIA, and most likely dead. Soon after that, Connie's mother moves into their small house to help out. Her way of "helping out," however, mainly consists of shouting matches with her daughter and cold silent periods in which Elvira is forced to carry notes between her mother and grandmother.

Nine months after Ray left, Jessie is born. Jessie is not a normal toddler. She starts talking much later than most children, and when she finally does, she will only say words like "damnation" and "surgery." She often gets a glazed look over her eyes, as if she's seeing something other than what's going on around her. A visit from a peddler to tell the family the latest gossip helps them realize the truth: Jessie is a seer, some sort of psychic.

The family is forced to move out of town to escape judgement from the local citizens. Joining them is a traveling preacher. They embark on a cross-country trip, to a destination not known by Elvira.

I adored this story, but the one thing I didn't like was how preachy the writing was. At the start of the book, Elvira didn't believe in God, but by the end she was practically a missionary. I don't mind religion in writing AT ALL, it's just when it becomes the center focus of an otherwise brilliant story that I get annoyed. So that's why I took of a quarter of a star :P I can't wait for more from this author, hopefully somewhat less centered around religion.

*Cover: I really liked the cover of this book, because I felt that it really related to a key part of the story :)*