Out of the Dust

Out of the Dust is a novel by Karen Hesse. Unique in its form of writing, Out of the Dust tells about a 'redheaded, freckle-faced, narrow-hipped girl with a fondness for apples and a hunger for playing fierce piano.' This particular novel is told in a set of poems. I admire Karen Hesse for being able to write a touching story in a way of poetry, as a different type of story telling people are used to. She was able to write a story in the form of poetry, and to be able to send out the message behind her story with the same efficiency all the same. 

Telling about a girl named Billie Jo, and her family of her Mother and Father. But then tragedy strikes, and her life changes drastically. Now with only her father, and hands which she refuses to play piano with, everything Billie Jo once loved is gone. Still Billie Jo and her father's life goes on, and can still manage to hope. In a novel of Billie's and her father's unwillingness to help each other out, unwillingness to be able to understand each other, and dust, there comes a story of love and companionship, depression, desperation, and hope.

Karen Hesse writes a touching story in the form of poetry, and one bound to touch every heart with a feelings of sorrow, for the characters, and for everything they're going through. And you can find that a little part of you can relate to the narration. 

Some say that the best kind of books will stir emotions in you, make you feel what the characters are feeling,  feel the desperation that drives them, or the happiness coursing through them. Karen Hesse is one writer who can pull those feelings, give a little stir to them, from the deepest wells of someone's heart. A truly touching story, full of longing and honesty, and mixed in with that, love and the forgiving nature of people. Perhaps, we can hope, that everything will end out just right between Billie's family. 

Touching and delicate, Out of the Dust is an amazing book I had the pleasure of reading. It has great appeal towards people who like realistic fiction, and the plot line isn't overly complex, but the writing is compelling. 

*** I give this book a 9.5 out of 10!!!!!!!!***