| Lucinda Hunter, daughter of the famous late movie star Lily Hunter, lives a solitary life. Now getting on in age, she suffers from agorophobia which prevents her leaving the house for any real length of time. One day, a little black girl named Katanya is by her window. Katanya waves to her and beckons her outside to talk. An instant friendship ensues. Katanya lives in the city but has come to the country for two weeks for the "Fresh Air" program. The family she has to stay with suffers a marital breakdown and Katanya tries to stay away from the tension and also the prejudice evident in the house.
Katanya spends a lot of time with Lucinda and they get to know each other's lives. Slowly but surely, Katanya encourages Lucinda to go outside for the first time in years. Lucinda's desire to show Katanya a good time on her exchange seems greater than her desire to be a hermit. Lucinda found out after her mother's death that her father was a black man, however Lucinda never met him or his family. She hired a detective company to try and find him but was unsuccessful. Katanya, who is extraordinarily bright for her age, gives a new approach to the search and Lucinda is motivated to look again. This book looks at several fascinating facets, agorophobia, the search for your parents/family tree, racial prejudice and the struggle for identity when you have a mixed parentage. It also is a heartwarming story of family and friends, and the triumph of love in the life of the lonely. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - thoughtful Time/era of story - 2000+ (Present Day) Ethnic/Regional/Religion Internal struggle/realization? Yes Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes Brain/Body disability? - mental illness Woman's story? Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Nationality Unusual characteristics: Main Adversary Identity: - none Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 2 () United States Yes Writing Style Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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