Life at the Speed of Us

Gr 8 Up—After surviving a car crash that kills her mother, high school junior Sovern Briggs believes that she's a danger to anyone she loves. She's turned silent and distant, relying on the adrenaline rush of dangerous pursuits to help her forget those last moments that destroyed the only person who really understood her. On the one year anniversary of her mother's death, Sovern's risky run on a snowboard sends her crashing into the trunk of a blue spruce. Dazed and in pain, she is comforted by the sound of her mother's humming. Several days later, a run-in with another blue spruce catapults her into an alternate reality where a different version of herself strolls deep in conversation with her mother. The minute Sovern breaks contact with the tree, she's back in her own world. Realizing the connection, she begins seeking out opportunities to use blue spruce trees as a bridge into worlds where her mother still resides. Despite subtle warnings that her presence might negatively impact the alternate realities that she visits, Sovern cannot resist the urge to see, hear, and speak to her mother again. Sappenfield uses quantum theory as an intriguing way for Sovern to reconnect with her mother, but this plot point strains credulity. The convenient use of time differential and distracting foray into the past allow the story to meander too far from its original plot.