Review: The Possibility of Fireflies

The Possibility of Fireflies
Dominique Paul

Summary:
It's 1987. Heavy Metal is big and so is the hair. Set in a Maryland suburb, this coming-of-age story follows fourteen-year-old Ellie Roma -a thinker and aspiring writer- who must cope with an alcoholic mother and a volatile head-banging big sister. Ellie spends a lot of time alone, especially at night, when all she has to keep her company are the fireflies that flicker in the summer air . . . and the undying hope that someone will come and rescue her from her unhappy life. Then one day Leo enters her dark world. Leo is handsome, older and on his way to Hollywood to become a rock star. Ellie hopes that Leo will be the one to save her. Instead, Leo teaches Ellie that no one can save you -you have to find a way to save yourself. So one night --one terrible, frightening, thrilling night-- that's exactly what Ellie decides to do.

Review:
I went into this book with the impression that it would mostly be a love story between Ellie and Leo. But I was wrong, it was much more than that. The first few chapters were pretty much the typical life of a teenager - school, friends, and family. But then you start to realize that something is a bit wrong in the family. Ellie's mother is an alcoholic - and an abusive one at that. Most of the violence is taken out on Ellie's older sister, Gwen. I could sympathize with Ellie a lot through the book, but it made me wonder how teens can really deal with abusive parents like that. Once I got into it, I didn't want to put it down. It was a great book about Ellie trying to find her place in the world, and trying to figure out the right thing to do. A couple of the chapters at the end actually made me cry a little, and I don't usually cry over books much. Anyone who has abusive parents or just feels alone and is trying to find their place can sympathize with Ellie.

Overall rating: 4.5/5