Title: The Girl Who Fell from the Sky Author: Heidi W. Durrow
Published: February 16, 2010
Genre(s): Realistic/Contemporary
Page Count: 264
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:This debut novel tells the story of Rachel, the daughter of a Danish mother and a black G.I. who becomes the sole survivor of a family tragedy. With her strict African American grandmother as her new guardian, Rachel moves to a mostly black community, where her light brown skin, blue eyes, and beauty bring mixed attention her way. Growing up in the 1980s, she learns to swallow her overwhelming grief and confronts her identity as a biracial young woman in a world that wants to see her as either black or white.
The Goodreads Recommendations feature really is quite handy. Like many other books, I never would have heard of (much less read) The Girl Who Fell from the Sky had it not been for Goodreads. Heidi W. Durrow’s debut novel is an interesting look at race and how it would affect a biracial girl’s coming of age, and also it’s a story about coming of age in general, regardless of one’s race.
Durrow’s protagonist, Rachel, is the sole survivor of a tragic accident that killed her mother and siblings. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, then, is about how Rachel deals with the aftermath of the accident and how her growing up progresses in her paternal grandmother’s home. Though it’s a very short novel, the reader sees Rachel grow from age 8 up to her later high school years.
As I mentioned, this is a shorter novel, so Durrow doesn’t dwell on a lot of aspects of Rachel’s life. Though there is an overarching plot, the set-up of the chapters gives the text a nearly episodic feel. This is also helped by the multiple points of view that the author alternates between. Everything from Rachel’s perspective is about her growing-up, but all the other perspectives hinge on the accident and slowly reveal more details about what exactly happened.
Because of The Girl Who Fell from the Sky’s brevity, I don’t feel that I got as intimate with the characters (especially Rachel) as I would have liked. I, of course, knew who she was and her motivations and struggles, but I also felt that if Durrow had chosen to expand and go even more in depth, I would have enjoyed Rachel’s character more. However, I didn’t feel a lack of characterization, merely a desire for more development.
Aside from the accident, the book’s main focus appears to be on how Rachel deals with her biracial identity. Until she came to live with her grandmother, she never identified as black, but after moving, she feels ostracized from the label she’s been forced to accept. Rachel doesn’t feel as if she belongs in either group fully, and it makes her feel as if she’s always acting a part or pretending to be what others expect of her. I thought that portrayal was authentic and sensitive on the author’s part, and though, again, I think Durrow could have gone into greater depth, I liked what was presented.
Altogether, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky was a worthwhile and unexpected read. Its only faults seemed to be that it didn’t go far enough, which is far from a horrific drawback. I found it to be easy to read, thought-provoking, and unique.
