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Seeking Shelter by
Catherine Goodwin
Published by Ronsdale Press, 2006
Reviewed by Alaina Roach O'Keefe
Catherine Goodwin, the author of Seeking Shelter (which is a short novel geared towards young adults age nine and up), is originally from Montreal, Canada – the exact setting of the story where a young thirteen year-old girl is forced to deal with her mother's death four years after witnessing the accident that killed her. Marcie Chisholm is sent by her father to live with family friends (who were previously neighbors of hers) for the summer, where she finds that nothing has stayed the same – not her friendships, not her old house, and especially not her self.
This is a story that took me back to when I was 13, and I kept trying to imagine how I would have handled things such as a parent’s death. Marcie is a strong character, but not an overwhelming one, and she takes us through the process of hurting, learning, and being stronger because of life events. In the process of inherent feelings to help others, Marcie meets Renée, a homeless woman who lives in a bus shelter. The two of them are seeking shelter, and have no idea that they will end up finding it within each other. The novel also explores the process of grief – a process which we seek and provide support and shelter from the awful realities of life and death. This is a pretty emotional, yet thought-provoking, read for young adults in their early teens.
Click here to purchase Seeking Shelter.
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