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"Ten days after Jaya Mackenzie's mum dies, angels start falling from the sky. Smashing down to earth at extraordinary speeds, wings bent, faces contorted, not a single one has survived. Hysteria mounting with every Being that drops, Jaya's father uproots the family to Edinburgh intent on catching one alive. But Jaya can't stand this obsession and, struggling to make sense of her mother's sudden death and her own role on that fateful day, she's determined to stay out of it. When her best friend disappears and her father's mania spirals, things hit rock bottom and it's at that moment something extraordinary happens: an angel lands right at Jaya's feet, and it's alive. Finally she is forced to acknowledge just how significant these celestial beings are. Set against the backdrop of the Edinburgh festival, Out of the Blue tackles questions of grief and guilt and fear over who we really are. But it's also about love and acceptance and finding your place in this world as angels drop out of another." -- Provided by publisher.… (more)
User reviews
It's beautiful and sad and so lovingly written. The characters are real and their pain is real and their reactions and decisions and choices are so heartbreakingly real and you root for them because you know they're trying so hard to
Jaya is a wonderful MC. She's mourning her mother, dealing with her distant father and little sister, and the sudden disappearance of her on-again, off-again sort-of girlfriend all while mysterious, angelic Beings are falling from the sky. Jaya is comfortable with her sexuality--which is wonderful, really, and far too uncommon to read about. As a questioning teen I would have LOVED to read about Jaya, about how her sexuality isn't at the center of her problems, how, really, it's the LEAST of her problems. She struggles with guilt, and anger, and confusion and her world has changed in so many irrevocable ways. Her relationship with her father and younger sister are both poignant and frustrating and difficult and I loved how her family was written. I loved how lived-in the characters felt, how they seemed real and not just constructed.
The romance is understated and sweet. Allie, the love interest, is tough and smart and kind and stubborn and I loved her so much. She is disabled and her disability is discussed by the characters at length. While I am not disabled in the same way and thus feel unequipped to comment on whether Allie's relationship to her disability is positively or negatively represented, I do suffer from chronic illness and I totally get the unfairness of it and I appreciated seeing a character like Allie in a book like this.
The plot is quiet and gentle and thoughtful. Although ostensibly focused on the Beings, the plot is really about how guilt and grief change you, how the world can end and yet you're still left to keep going, how to live with the person you've become. I wish I'd had this book as a teen...it's focus on healing and change, on forgiveness and standing up for what's right and doing what you can to help those who need it, even if it feels like nothing at all is masterfully and lovingly done. A really wonderful story and one I'm so glad exists