Book Review - Leaving Wishville by Mel Torrefranca

I think of Leaving Wishville and hear the ocean. I see that misty gray that doesn't seem like it's a real color. Unsettlingly cozy.

Mel Torrefranca does a phenomenal job of transporting her readers into a completely different place. Though I read this book curled up in my room or on my back porch, I always felt as if I were in Wishville, all but tasting the ocean. Every detail, each line of dialogue, even each punctuation mark settles in your chest and tugs. Coming from a small town myself, I'm all too familiar with tranquility feeling empty, but Torrefranca conveys it effortlessly. She finds ways to make you feel things you've only felt in hazy dreams.

Her characters, especially Benji, aid you on your journey. They are as dimensional and dynamic as characters come. Even if they are on the page for just a few lines, you get to know them. Benji is the type of character that you know you've met in real life before--someone who wants more that what they believe they have.

The plot, of course, was wonderful. Fast-paced, but not so fast that I felt my head spin. It kept me turning the pages, needing to know what would come next, but not feeling rushed to do so.

If you need to visit somewhere else for a bit, and you feel there is something missing, then Leaving Wishville might have some solutions.

You can get Leaving Wishville here.