Review - No Alligators in Sight by Kirsten B. Feldman

Title: No Alligators in Sight

Author: Kirsten B. Feldman

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 232

Published: November 25th 2013 by KBFeldman Books 

ISBN: 9781492792192

Source: Author for honest review

Description: In this coming of age novel, Lettie and Bert squeak by in a tiny town on Cape Cod, one parent an alcoholic and the other absent. After a string of bad decisions on Lettie’s part, their father ships them to their barely remembered mother for the summer, where they will learn hard lessons about themselves, their family, and their future by way of the Florida swamp. Throughout Lettie keeps her biting humor flowing, her razor-sharp pen at the ready, and her eye on her quest for a “normal” life. 

I Give This ...

I'm always a little wary of self published books, which in the growing age of self publishing maybe I should be open.  I had nothing to fear with this one.  I loved this coming of age book.

Lettie has a lot of pent up anger directed at everybody.  She was forced to grow up to quickly in order to take care of herself and her little brother Ben.  She never got to be a child herself, a fact that is really easy to place the blame on her father.  He's there and he's not the best of parents.  It's easy to idolize and fantasize about their mother who left them.  If if she knows the truth is far from this fantasy.  But, when Lettie gets caught shoplifting, her father decides maybe a little hard truth is what she needs.  

What floored me at first was that I had no idea that the absent mother might actually be worse than the father.  Within a couple chapters, I realized that maybe Lettie's dad was trying to protect them the only way he knew how.  He may have been an alcoholic, but he did love them.  I kept waiting for some moment to happen for Lettie's mother to wake up a realize what they were doing.  I hated that it was so obvious how much she favored Bert (not in a way the deterred from the story if you know what I mean).  I hated the way her husband didn't care about them.  But, most of all I was disgusted when they dumped her at the airport expecting her to find her own way home with out so much as a backwards glance.

Despite the events that lead to Lettie being send home, I was happy to see that maybe it opened up her dad's eyes a little.  She needed a father and he was right there.  I think he was making the right choices to better their lives, although I wish it would have happened sooner.  I'm not sure on the ending though.  Part of me is hoping for the bridge to be built while the other part thinks there's no freakin way.