Beautiful. I've seen a lot of hype for this novel and all of it is justified. My only regret is that I read it on Kindle, so I couldn't get my copy signed at YALC.
“Wing,” he breathes, like a wish, like a prayer, and it’s as if it is my heart’s name and not my own because my heart flutters in my chest, desperate to get out to fly to him.”
Wing Jones (or The Heartbeats of Wing Jones, if you're in America) follows a young girl called Wing's attempts to cope with a difficult stage in her life by discovering a passion and talent for running.
“Then he smiles at me and it’s like I’ve been living in darkness and now there is light.”
I adored the figurative language, which fitted in so well with Wing's personality and what she imagined. It flowed beautifully and made this novel so enjoyable to read.
"But my happiness is a squishy kind of happiness, squeezing itself in where it can fit, pushing around all the sadness and the stress and the pressure, finding any empty spot, any crevice, and filling it."
The characters were also brilliant - I liked that none of them were perfect, as this lead to a realistic, believable story line. And speaking of believable, I've never read a novel which made me so thankful for the NHS. The medical bills and difficulties Wing's family face are incomprehensible for someone who has never had to pay for healthcare and reminded me how lucky we are to have the NHS in the UK.
“Another wish, a secret one, flutters by, and it has Aaron’s name on it. I watch it for a moment, fluttering, floating, and then I grab it tight and crush it before anyone else can see it. I can feel the remnants of the mothy wish wings on my skin.”
Webber captures the exhilaration and freedom of running so well and it (almost) made me want to put on my trainers. Until I remembered that I have a six months old and haven't had a decent night's sleep in over a year, so running is about as appealing as, well, anything that's not sleep, really... I think I'll stick to reading!
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