Many Stones

Many Stones



By: Carolyn Coman



Front Street, 2000

The murder of her sister, Laura, changes the lives of Berry's family. Death does that. Berry copes with her grief but piling stones on her chest, floating in the water, and making out with her boyfriend, Josh. A year and a half after her sister's death a memorial is built in South Africa where Laura was murdered. Berry and her father travel to Africa to attended the ceremony. Both Berry and her father are left frustrated as they struggle to communicate, understand, and appreciate each other. Set very soon after the apartheid has ended Berry is able to see a perspective of both the whites and the blacks of South Africa and why her father and sister may have cared so much. Finally Berry opens up, but is it enough? Will the memorial built in honor of her sister heal or harm the wound in her heart?

Personal Review: This book was beautifully written. It was also like a poem. I was able to read it quickly because it flowed. Berry is an interesting and realistic character. This book was interesting because it talked alot about Africa before and after the apartheid. This book does have a few swear words though I felt they were strategically placed and only added to the story. Warning: This book has descriptions of violent acts, profanity, minor sexual topics, and racism.

160 pages

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book:
"I wish I could tell Josh. I wish I could open my mouth and talk-- say how I put the stones on me, one by one, like I am the paper and they are the paerweight and they keep me from flying off, right out the window. Tell him how I have to do it--move them, one by one, from the nightstand onto my body, how they start out light but add up to heavy and how they keep me weighted so I know there's something there to be weighted."