Review Time: AS SHE LEFT IT by Catriona McPherson

By Destiny Geddis
b
As She Left It did a miraculous thing that really hasn't happened since Death Spiral: it made us universally agree that we loved this book.
b
Something you may not have realized, is that our little YA Review Team is unbelievably picky. One of us, a newcomer who joined during the Jesus Jackson era, had yet to truly enjoy a book that we had read. However, they ended up liking this book so much that when they ended up getting sick and being unable to attend our meeting, they demanded that we Skype them so they could talk about this book. So, while this is not technically a Young Adult novel, we will be reviewing it.


As She Left It is about a young woman named Opal, who returns to her home town after she finds letters addressed to her about the maintenance of her old house. Now, this is quite odd since Opal's mother was not only dead, but had not been living in that house leading up to the time of her death, and well, she's obviously not been living in her old childhood house on Mote Street. So with these mysterious letter among other things, driving her onward, she decides to return to the place she hadn't seen since she was twelve.

What she finds, at first glance, seems to be a town frozen in time, but upon a closer look, she realizes that all is not well on Mote Street. There she finds a missing boy, a man who cries himself to sleep at night, a note in a headboard, and much more. Secrets and mysteries are plentiful on Mote Street and Opal is determined to solve them all.

How does one even begin to describe As She Left It? It's a truly baffling book, and I say that as a compliment. It's mysteries are complex and delightfully confusing. The book is like going on a drive down a road covered in heavy fog, terrified because all you can really see is what your sadly ineffectual headlights show. You can't turn back, because you know that what lies ahead is worth it. So you journey onward, despite the terror and confusion that the winding roads brings. Then, you start to feel comfortable and you think, "All right, now all I've got to do is sit back and relax", but no. Aren't you in for a surprise. McPherson has sensed your complacency and has sent a metaphorical tree in the middle of your metaphorical road. This book makes you think and question, and even after you finish and you get the explanation, you will still think and question, which I wholeheartedly believe is a sign of a good book.

As She Left It's plot is not the only selling point of this book, as a good plot can only carry a book so far. Its characters are real and believable. McPherson manages to make even one-off characters feel like humans, a thing that too many books fail to do. I found myself fascinated by the funny couple who ran the antique shop or even just Opal's coworkers. They were not cardboard cut-outs designed with the express purpose of directing our heroine in the right direction; they were people with lives. Sometimes the people aren't nice, but they're good characters, and that's what truly makes this book enjoyable.


Catriona McPherson, thank you for such an enjoyable book! We'd grown worried that we'd never find a book our more picky members might enjoy. Hopefully, our little book club will be able to read more from you in the future.