Review: THE UNDERSTORY by Elizabeth Leiknes

THE UNDERSTORY

By Elizabeth Leiknes
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Bancroft Press

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THE UNDERSTORY is one of those books that will stay in my thoughts for a long time. It’s an enchanting modern fairy tale full of silliness and sadness, humor, heartbreak and hope. The story is about, well, a young woman named “Story” whose odd quirk brings together a group of people all suffering from the loss of a loved one.

Story Easton is so strange that I couldn’t help but like her. She feels like such a failure in her own life that at night, she breaks into other people’s houses to sleep in their beds (or guest beds). But, why? It’s Story’s way of escaping her own dismal existence to become someone else for the night.

It’s on two of her uninvited sleepovers that she meets a small group of people whose lives and pain are interconnected, though they have no idea. One of them is Cooper Payne. His father promised to take him to the rainforest to find the magical box written about in his favorite book on his ninth birthday. Cooper’s dad was killed before he could fulfill his promise. When Story hears about this, she takes it upon herself to see that Cooper’s wish is granted. This is her chance to finally succeed at something, and she’s determined not to let the boy’s belief in magic die.

This was such a sweet and touching story. There were many funny moments and a few very sad ones, too. The author did a flawless job weaving together the lives of her complicated characters; just when you think a group of strangers can’t get any closer, they do! Now, there were one or two instances in the book that were not realistic at all, but if readers can suspend disbelief just for a bit, they’ll really enjoy Elizabeth Leiknes’ quirky and uplifting story.

Source: NetGalley