“Pretty much nobody on Earth takes me seriously. And yet, on the inside I know there is something wrong enough that someone should be taking it seriously. Maybe it starts with me. Maybe I have to take it seriously first.”

“Still Life with Tornado” by author A. S. King is a young adult contemporary novel that follows a sixteen year old girl having to cope with an existential crisis and her parents’ marriage crumbling. In this novel we follow Sarah as she comes across versions of herself from the past and future. Throughout the story she learns things of her past that she had little recollection of including rifts within her family and her parents’ marriage. 

“It’s like I’m a little me inside the big me and I’m holding an umbrella and the rain is bullsh-t and I am the rain and I am the bullsh-t.”

This novel explores the challenges of childhood trauma, repression, the cycles of abuse and its impacts on those involved, as well as coping with the impacts of a toxic family.

You can find reviews on A.S. King’s book here and purchase her book on Amazon.

Image Credits:
Feature Image: NOAA, On Unsplash. Creative Commons