Title: To the Moon and Back
Author: Kathi Kotchi
Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
ISBN: 978-1662934438
Pages: 486
Genre: Teen & Young Adult / Fiction
Reviewed by: Christina Avina
Hollywood Book Reviews
Grief is one of the most mysterious and haunting things a person can struggle with internally. For grief comes in many different shapes and sizes, with the emotion plaguing those who have lost someone or something important to them, from a beloved pet or close friend to a parent or child that was taken suddenly from their lives. Everyone grieves in different ways, some healthier than others, and yet it is an emotion similar to love in which most people can find common ground and share in that feeling, no matter the circumstances of their lives.
In author Kathi Kotchi’s To the Moon and Back, the author explores grief in a grounded way. The story follows fourteen-year-old Jessica, who must live in the neglectful care of her alcoholic mother. Her teacher, John, offers to mentor her when her grades begin to fall behind. He recognizes the struggle she faces in his own grief, with him having lost his wife and daughter in a car accident months before, while Jessica lost her father, brother and sister years earlier. Soon John works to help Jessica in her home life, calling social services to help resolve the neglect from her mother, yet while that works for a while, something shocking happens that forces him to pursue legal custody. Will he be able to save this young girl from a heartbreaking reality?
The author does a remarkable job of grounding the narrative thoroughly in this book. The depth of the character development really stood out, both for the protagonists and those they interacted with. Both protagonists really honed in on the complexities associated with grief, and the different ways in which it can impact a person. From Jessica’s mother who continued to struggle with her addiction, an addiction that had been on the road to recovery before their lives were turned upside down, to John’s wife and the impact it had on his own desire (or lack thereof) to meet anyone else, this novel did an incredible job of engaging the reader with these layered and engaging characters.
This was the perfect read for those who enjoy young adult novels, especially those that are grounded in reality and focus on emotional storytelling. The emotional heart of this narrative is in the bond formed between John and Jessica, both of whom learned from one another to navigate the murky waters of the emotional turmoil they felt in their losses. The need to find connections and build trust is essential to the grieving process, and the almost therapeutic story helped show healthy ways of confronting and moving on from that grief.