Have you ever had a moment in life happen that makes you just want to get away? One of those road trips of a lifetime? Well, that’s exactly what Madison Lam does in Kathryn Burns’ charming tale, Elsewhere.
After Madison and Amy’s relationship ends, Madison has to escape. Whether her goal is just to get away for a while, start a new life, or on a mission to self-destruct, she’s doing it with or without help.
However, she receives the assistance of family, friends and strangers as she hits the road in Illinois headed to the Pacific coast. As she begins to hitchhike she decides to head to Seattle where her sister sets her up with a couch to crash on. But as will become a trend on this adventure, Madison leaves a note of thanks and hits the road again the next day. The travels take her to San Francisco, Vegas and a number of other places.
Although her adventures are just what she needed, there comes a point when suddenly it all makes sense and Madison knows what she needs to do. After a visit to her grandparents, her best friend Bella convinces her that it’s time to head home and fix what started this journey to begin with. In the end, she finds herself with her mother so that the healing can begin,
I really enjoyed the cast of characters, despite how small their role might have been along Madison’s journey. The trip itself seemed like something everyone should do to learn about themselves. The imagery was great, “,,,.the sky appears to me like a painting, the baby blue hues or the grays representing the finite border of our world, the clouds painted on the canvas with cotton balls.”
Elsewhere is a raw, honest and completely insightful book. A good read that I highly recommend – especially if you just want to get away.