Review: Brilliant plot twist
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 30, 2014
There are so many things I loved about this book, it was truly hard for me to pick one thing negative to say.I think the one thing that I liked the most about this novel was the fact that our heroine was not perfect.  Physically she suffers from juvenile arthritis (which can be debilitating) and is confined to a wheelchair.  Some of this, we come to understand, is because her doctor in London wasn't knowledgeable enough to treat her properly.  Set during World War II, it's easy to understand they might not have had an understanding of this disease or treatments.Kit and her brother, Leighton, are sent from London to Wales.  This was common practice during this time; families feared for their children's safety and found families far from home to care for their children during the war.  While there, Kit is put under the care of Dr. Bickerstaff.  He believes that she has been coddled and pushes her to the limits in her treatment.  She doesn't like him and gets the feeling that he doesn't care for her much either.  Kit has a special gift.  She can reach into the minds of others.  She sees the world as that person sees it.  During one of her escapes, she enters the mind of a 17 year old Norwegian boy named Henri.  She sees the Nazis take control of Oslo and continues to visit with him during his escape.  His ultimate plan is to make it to Wales to meet Kit.Aside from Kit's gift, she is an average girl.  She has a physical handicap (that she works to overcome... does she?) and she considers her looks to be plain.  The only character in the book that is described as being absolutely beautiful is Blod (she is the daughter of the family Kit is sent to live with).  In the author's note she talks about the averageness of her characters... it's definitely worth the read.  Personally, I feel that the characters were easier to relate to because of being average.  And I am a total history nerd, so the setting of this book just called to me.Ms. Finn does an excellent job of creating characters that make you want to root for them.  You find yourself sucked into the story and feel like you are seeing the world through the character's eyes.  I honestly couldn't come up with anything about this book that I didn't like.  All of the questions you find yourself asking are answered (well, except one... but there is a second book so maybe we find out) and you feel like you've been given some closure at the end.Does Kit ever walk? Does Henri make it to Wales? What secrets is her mother keeping from her?  The plot twist involving her parents... brilliant!