Book Review: A Million Junes Occasionally, a book comes along that is completely different from most other books. A Million Junes is that book. June, otherwise known as Jack ODonnell IV, lives in a magical place, a place where the veil between heaven and earth is thinner. Cherry trees grow overnight; coywolves steal shoes; cherries have magical healing properties, and Feather, a pink shimmering ghost, and Nameless, a dark and dangerous spirit, also reside there. When she was eight years old, June lost her father, Jack ODonnell III, to Nameless. The Angerts, a family with whom the ODonnells have been feuding for generations, live next door to June. It seems that whenever something bad happens to an ODonnell, something terrible happens to the Angerts as well. When Jack died, so did Bekah, the Angerts daughter and Saul Angerts twin sister. For generations, June has had to abide by two rules: dont go near the Angerts, and dont go near the Falls. But when she meets the boy next door, Saul, she is drawn to him. Suddenly, the Whites (dandelion-like particles) come alive and show June and Saul memories of the people who have gone before. Both painful and exhilarating, June and Saul step through threshold after threshold of memories to find out more. And as they do, they begin to discover the curse that has fallen on their families. As theyre pulled in different directions, they must decide what it means to live, to love, and to hold on to the memories of those weve lost without letting those memories drag us under. A Million Junes is a fascinating book about grief, memory and love. As June and Saul process their own grief, the reader is also called to decide for themselves whether to hold their memories tightly in their hands, refusing to let go, or open their hands wide, so that love can get in.
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