Still Life with Tornado
Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King is a reprint edition published by Penguin on October 3, 2017, featuring 320 pages in English. This narrative follows sixteen-year-old Sarah, a talented artist who finds herself unable to draw, leading her to question her identity and the state of her family. As she navigates the urban landscape of Philadelphia, she encounters past and future versions of herself, awakening to the complexities of her family’s dysfunction, including the impact of her parents’ troubled marriage and the absence of her older brother.
Readers will discover a poignant exploration of themes such as family dynamics, emotional abuse, and the journey toward self-awareness. The story delves into Sarah’s struggle to reconcile her artistic identity with the harsh realities of her home life, ultimately portraying a vivid picture of survival and resilience. Through Sarah’s experiences, the book addresses significant social themes, inviting reflection on the nature of trauma and recovery.
Official synopsis Publisher
A heartbreaking and mindbending story of a talented teenage artist’s awakening to the brokenness of her family from acclaimed Printz award-winner A.S. King.
Sixteen-year-old Sarah can’t draw. This is a problem, because as long as she can remember, she has “done the art.” She thinks she’s having an existential crisis. And she might be right; she does keep running into past and future versions of herself as she wanders the urban ruins of Philadelphia. Or maybe she’s finally waking up to the tornado that is her family, the tornado that six years ago sent her once-beloved older brother flying across the country for a reason she can’t quite recall. After decades of staying together “for the kids” and building a family on a foundation of lies and domestic violence, Sarah’s parents have reached the end. Now Sarah must come to grips with years spent sleepwalking in the ruins of their toxic marriage. As Sarah herself often observes, nothing about her pain is remotely original—and yet it still hurts.
Insightful, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful, this is a vivid portrait of abuse, survival, resurgence that will linger with readers long after the last page.
“Read this book, whatever your age. You may find it’s the exact shape and size of the hole in your heart.”—The New York Times
“Surreal and thought-provoking.”—People Magazine
★ ”A deeply moving, frank, and compassionate exploration of trauma and resilience, filled to the brim with incisive, grounded wisdom.” —Booklist, starred review
★ ”King writes with the confidence of a tightrope walker working without a net.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
★”[King] blurs reality, truth, violence, emotion, creativity, and art in a show of respect for YA readers.”—Horn Book Magazine, starred review
★ “King’s brilliance, artistry, and originality as an author shine through in this thought-provoking work. […] An unforgettable experience.” SLJ, starred review
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