Angie is a young teenage girl whose father is deceased and her younger sister is autistic. Her mother is dealing with trying to support two children -- one with very severe disabilities -- and making a life for them. The autistic daughter never speaks but and is known for her "keening", which is a siren-pitched scream that lasts for hours. When they move in temporarily with the mother's aunt, the young daughter, Sophie, bonds with the neighbors dog, Rigsby, and a new friendship is formed. The backdrop of this story had potential and I was hoping for much more than I received. I thought the author created wonderful images of the characters, especially Angie, the mom and the dog's owner, Paul. Perhaps her attention to detail in characterization was too good and that is why I grew to dislike some characters, find disappointment in others and others were just too unrealistic. I found the mother to be childlike, leaving the mainstay of the young child's wellbeing to her eldest daughter. With odd jobs that the teenager would get, the mother felt she had every right to her pay and I found her very self-centered, selfish and thoughless.
The story of the love and friendship between the girl, Sophie, and the dog, Rigsby, was the best part and was heartwarming and touching. Their relationship was the redeeming quality of the book. The teenager (who turns 17 before the book ends) was WAY TOO mature for her age and I felt the way the author portrayed her reasoning, conversation levels, interpersonal skills, etc. were not believable. I had trouble with a 65 year-old man learning to confide in a teenager, especially a female, about his own life. I could have believed a mentoring type of a relationship, but the strong bonds of friendship between two completely different age groups just didn't fit. I have marked several books by this author as "want to read" because the story lines sounded promising. This book was a bit of a disappointment, but I most likely will not let it stop me from reading more of her work. I do feel like she has a good grasp of human emotion. Her writing style is smooth and flows well so I'll give her books another shot at another time. I'm sure there is much to reflect upon in this story -- friendship, trust, overcoming adversity, positive thinking, etc. so don't let my less-than-perfect review deter you. Make your own judgement -- perhaps in the middle of this book is right where you belong.