Klickitat

by Peter Rock

Overview

Vivian feels left behind when her older sister, Audra, runs away from home. She believes that Audra will return and pays careful attention to the clues around her. Then, inexplicably, writing begins to appear in a blank notebook.

When Audra does come back for Vivian, she’s in the company of a strange man. The three of them run away together and practice wilderness survival. While Audra plans for the future, Vivian continues to gather evidence: Who is this mysterious man, and does he have any connection to the words appearing in her notebook?

Klickitat is a haunting story, full of atmosphere and awakening, crafted by one of today's most startling literary talents.


"The dreamy narration is evocative of The Virgin Suicides…it might be a readalike for E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars…"--VOYA

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613128978
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	04/12/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Peter Rock is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and a Wallace Stegner Fellowship. His adult novel My Abandonment won the Alex Award. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and two young daughters. www.peterrockproject.com.

Editorial Reviews

[Klickitat] is so haunting and elliptical, it takes you over like a fever…Rock's prose calls to mind Kazuo Ishiguro, not just for its spareness but also for its mix of wonder and creepiness…Rock taps into something moving about love and disconnectedness—and how hard it is for a young, dented heart to process the world when the world can't process her.

The New York Times Book Review - Jeff Giles

"This richly atmospheric, magicial realist story poses existential questions about displacement, the limits of normal life in cities and suburbs, and the disconnection between people who talk past each other, sending out messages that may not reach their intended recipients or any recipients at all."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

03/01/2016
Gr 9 Up—Vivian feels lost and left behind when her older sister Audra runs away. She retreats inside herself and tries to look for answers, clues, anything that will help her find her sister. Defying logic, writing begins to appear in an old notebook of Vivian's, seemingly of its own accord. When Audra returns with a young man in tow to take Vivian with them, the three of them run away together and practice surviving in the wilderness. Set in Portland, OR, though it easily could have been anywhere, the book features themes that teens can easily relate to: developing one's identity, coping with distant parents, questioning authority, and rejecting "the way things are." With a somewhat unreliable narrator, the novel also raises a lot of questions. Is this magical realism, or does the character suffer from mental illness? Do the words just appear in Vivian's book, or does she not realize that she's the one writing them? Does she have an illness that she needs to take medication for, or is it the medication that is making her unwell? Who is the young man Audra brought into their lives? Can he be trusted? This is a quick read, and the tension is maintained throughout, making this ideal for mystery lovers and reluctant readers. VERDICT A gripping, tautly constructed, down-the-rabbit-hole mystery. Hand this to readers who enjoyed E. Lockhart's We Were Liars (Delacorte, 2014) or Paula Hawkins's The Girl on the Train (Riverhead, 2015).—Julie Zimmerman, Brooklyn Public Library

School Library Journal

Rock’s YA debut is lyrical, mystifying, and wrenching.

The Boston Globe

"... this pensive, atmospheric novel rewards its readers with an unsettling yet beguiling exploration of how humans connect with each other, their environment, and what lies beyond."

The Horn Book

"Alex Award winner Rock (My Abandonment, 2009) weaves a quiet, highly atmospheric tale of sisterly love, finding your true self, and personal connection. The idea of communication pervades the narrative—disembodied voices snared by radio frequencies, cryptic words that appear in Vivian’s notebook as if by magic. This is a novel for contemplative teens that will prompt them to examine the world they know in a new light."

Booklist

Vivian struggles with mental illness and is dependent on her rebellious older sister, Audra, for support. Both girls are fascinated with wilderness survival. Audra, in particular, finds modern life robotic and aspires to off-the-grid living. When Audra runs away, Vivian is at loose ends. She finds mysterious writing in a journal that allows her to feel connected in Audra’s absence. When Audra returns, she brings a young man with her. He convinces Vivian to leave her home and join them, leaving her medication behind her. The story’s grasp on reality is tenuous, and at times it is unclear what is really happening and what is in Vivian’s imagination. Ultimately, the plot details are less important than the evolution of Vivian’s character. The dreamy narration is evocative of The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (Farrar Strauss Giroux, 1993), and in many ways this book’s loose grasp on reality feels more suited to an adult audience, in spite of its young lead characters. Vivian’s evident struggles with mental illness make her a quintessential unreliable narrator. Her first-person narration leaves many unanswered questions for the reader to ponder. If the ending was more resolved, it might be a readalike for E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars (Random House, 2014). While there are teen readers who will appreciate Klickitat, they will not likely find it on their own. Hand-selling will be necessary; try giving it to teens who enjoy quiet, unresolved literary fiction. Reviewer: Kristin Anderson; Ages 12 to 18.

VOYA, April 2016 (Vol. 39, No. 1) - Kristin Anderson

2015-12-22
Vivian, 15, who struggles with anxiety, feels her older sister, Audra, 17, a strong-willed free spirit, pulling away from her; before Audra vanishes, she promises Vivian she'll come back for her. With her parents preoccupied with work and worries about Audra, Vivian discovers strange messages appearing in her old yellow notebook. She'd like to show them to Audra, now absent, but in her room, Vivian discovers new books in her bookcase, including detailed guides on how to survive in the wilderness. Audra keeps her promise, and Henry, the boy who's become her partner in escaping the urban world and its social connections, brings Vivian to join them in their hiding place. While Audra and Henry work days, Vivian waits, hidden under a house in the city, until night falls and the three steal away to the park to practice survival skills. Audra is inspired by Caroline from Rock's Alex Award winner, My Abandonment (2009); Taffy also turns up. But while revisiting thematic territory, this journey is more pared down yet longer and darker. Characters recede from one another like stars in an expanding universe, empty space growing vast between them. The Klickitat are a Yakama Nation tribe, and Ramona Quimby famously lives on Klickitat Street, but here the word is a signal between the sisters, symbol of their fragile connection. Brooding, evocative, mysterious; a tale for mature readers to dig into—and then discuss. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews