Review Detail

For those who remember the angst of pre-pubescence, Third Willow, will have a familiar feel. The confusion of crossing that threshold from child to young adult is respectfully and sensitively portrayed through the hearts and minds of four young friends – Hap, Patsy, Beah, and Raz. These wise-beyond-their-years preteens spend the summer of 1954 hanging out as much as possible, away from their parents’ strongholds, on the outskirts of a rural Nebraska town. They grow up in a hurry as they wrestle with the adult problems affecting each of their lives. Lenore Skomal’s novel tackles heavy topics with honesty as the children grapple with complicated issues such as religious conviction, sexuality, prejudice, divorce, domestic violence, the effects of war, truth, loyalty and self-esteem -- universal themes as relevant today as they were some 60 years ago. There are more questions than answers posed in this book, superbly crafted by Skomal, leaving room for readers to apply their own experiences and to formulate – just as the children must – their own opinions.