Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths-Little, review by K. Bird Lincoln
Pretty New Release!
5 of 5 stars
The book begins with Livie's Pa bringing her mother home from the hospital- in a coma.
While Livie's sisters care for her Mother and the home, Livie is busy catching frogs at night with her Pa, poling around the bayou in her pirogue, and risking the wrath of her Aunt to do anything but touch her Mother.
Livie's got a secret, and the weight of that secret, as well as her complicated feelings based on her being a tomboy and not understanding her "girlie" mother or sisters, colors everything she does.
In a desperate attempt to help her mother, Livie goes deep into the bayou to find the shack of a traiteur, a healing creole healer, to find a spell to help her mother wake up.
The spell forces Livie to change the way she sees herself and the love in her family.
The flavor of this book is incredibly believable, the language, the food, the customs described here really come alive, forming a picture of life in the Louisiana bayou that was authentic-seeming to non-expert me.
Livie was sometimes a bit too angsty emotional for me, but totally believable as a teenager. What I really appreciated about Livie's journey is how we get to see how she goes from feeling inadequate and conflicted about her Mother to rethinking the way she can act and how other people's actions have different motivations than she once thought. It was a journey about allowing yourself to love your family, and allowing their love for you.
Very nice.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Jambalaya for all the spicy local flavor and the delicious mix of characters and setting
