Waiting

Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams

Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, New York City, 2012. ISBN: 978-1442443549

Summary

 As missionary children, London and Zach spent most of their time together. More than brother and sister, the two of them were best friends, inseparable as their family traveled to different countries. But that all changed when Zach dies. Suddenly, London has lost her faith and finds herself the outcast at school, and none of her classmates sure of what to say to her. Her dad is away from home most of the time and her mom sits in her room in silence, not saying a word to anyone but God.

When Lili, a bright, happy student from Utah sits at London’s table, London thinks she might finally have someone to talk to. But London still isn’t ready to talk about what happened with Zach to anyone: not to Lili, who has four brothers of her own. Not to Taylor, Zach’s best friend. And not to Jesse, the mysterious brother of Lili, who has no idea of London’s past.   But isn’t it about time somebody listened to London’s feelings?

Critical Evaluation

Emotional throughout, Waiting deals carefully with the topics of grief and death.  While the characters may come across as bitter or too emotional in their outbursts, their various displays of grief are realistic. London’s back and forth emotions, as well as her struggle to find normalcy with friends and a relationship will especially speak to teen audiences. While there is a love triangle in the book, Waiting is more about London’s relationship with her family and her own grieving process. The choice as to which boy London will pick is not as important as London finding someone to finally tell the truth to.  

 The build up to Zach’s life and death is a slow burn, allowing readers to connect more with London’s grief itself and not the details about her brother.  While there are several bittersweet moments toward the end of the book, the audience comes away with a sense that London and her family finally have a chance to fully heal.  With heartbreaking verse and beautiful emotion, Waiting is a stunning novel on grief and moving on.

Reader’s Annotation

How do you grieve for your brother when you won’t talk about him with anyone?

About the Author

“Carol Lynch Williams, who grew up in Florida and now lives in Utah, is an award-winning novelist with seven children of her own, including six daughters.  She has an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College, and won the prestigious PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship. The Chosen One was named one of the ALA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and Best Books for Young Adult Readers; it won the Whitney and the Association of Mormon Letters awards for the best young adult novel of the year; and was featured on numerous lists of recommended YA fiction. Carol's other novels include Glimpse, Miles From Ordinary, The Haven, Waiting, Signed, Skye Harper, and the Just in Time series.”

(About Carol Lynch Williams.  Retrieved November 17th, 2014 from http://www.carollynchwilliams.com/about.php)

Genres

Verse

Contemporary

Curriculum Ties

English—Poetry

Booktalking Ideas

1: Different forms of grieving

2: How does faith factor into the story?

Reading Level/Interest Age

Ages 14+

Grades 8+

Challenge Issues

Language

Sexual Situations

Violence/Suicide scenes

Defense File

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2—Listen to challenges and complaints openly and without judgment. Allow the patron to express their thoughts without inputting your own.

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PPLD’s Challenge Materials Policy: http://ppld.org/challenged-materials-policy

PPLD’s Collection Development Policy: http://ppld.org/collection-development-policy

Why included?

I included Waiting for its heartbreaking story and verse, as well as the realistic characters.