The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin

The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin

Review of The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin

Title & Author:
The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin
Publisher:
Putnam Juvenile
Publication Date:
August 02, 2012
Pages:
224
Source:
Purchased Finished Copy

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. – Goodreads

Twister is one of my favourite movies ever. I used to play a game I made up called “Storm Chasers” on the playground as a kid. So when The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin opened up with a quote from Twister, I already knew I was going to love this book.

And The Waiting Sky did not let me down – I loved everything about it. Lara Zielin combines storm chasing with real issues like alcoholic mothers and everything is a metaphor for the other and I just loved the way she tied everything together so beautifully.

The Waiting Sky’s storytelling absolutely masterful in the way that Lara Zielin was able to tie it all together so when you were reading on event, you could easily see it back to something to do with Jane’s mother. Every thread of the story connected to another and it flowed so beautifully.

And the storm chasing itself was awesome! I loved the rivalry and the betting and all the characters on the Tornado Brothers team. I loved the idea of a group of college and PhD students going around chasing storms in the summertime to test their inventions and…the whole concept of The Waiting Sky was awesome.

Plus, you know, the romance. It was just a sweet side story between Jane and Max that I really liked.

The whole issue with Jane’s mother in The Waiting Sky was heartbreaking and realistic. It was so evident how much Jane was struggling with it all and everyone kept trying to help her and it just broke my heart.

I loved the ending of The Waiting Sky. It was exactly what I was hoping for – and I’m not going to lie, I would totally read a sequel to The Waiting Sky.

Essentially, if you’re a fan of contemps with masterful storytelling, not to mention lots of awesome and a heavy dose of realistic situations, do not miss The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin.

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