Amber J. Keyser is a former ballerina and evolutionary biologist with an MS in zoology and a Ph.D. in genetics. She has written books for children of all ages in a wide variety of formats, including the picture book An Algonquin Heart Song: Paddle My Own Canoe (2007), which is based on the life of her grandmother. The Way Back from Broken is her first YA novel. She lives with her husband and two children in Portland, OR. Visit her online at amberjkeyser.com and follow her on Twitter (@amberjkeyser).
"The Way Back from Broken is a powerful story about how hard it can
be to heal yourself when everyone around you is broken, too. Amber
J. Keyser takes the reader inside the pain of loss, making it
personal and ragged in all the best ways, so that each step toward
healing builds to a life-affirming and cathartic conclusion. An
impressive debut novel that takes readers on a journey rich in
emotion and adventure."―E. M. Kokie, author of Personal Effects
--Other Print
"The Way Back from Broken is compelling and unrelenting--a story
for anyone trying to find their own way back." --Sara Ryan, author
of Bad Houses and The Rules for Hearts--Other Print
"Rare in its honesty, this novel tells a poignant story of loss,
grief, and recovery. Fifteen-year-old Rakmen's infant sister dies
in his arms, and his family unravels. He accompanies his mother to
a support group, where he encounters his unstable teacher, Leah,
who's grieving the loss of her stillborn son, and her young
daughter, Jacey. The little girl clings to Rakmen for protection
from her mother's bizarre behavior. The problem: so soon after the
death of his own baby sister, Rakmen is not emotionally ready or
willing to act as a big brother to the young girl. Summer
approaches, and Rakmen's parents, ignoring his protestations, send
him off to spend several weeks at Leah's slovenly Canadian lake
cabin. Yet his parents underestimate Leah's grief. Is he supposed
to babysit Jacey, his teacher, or both? 'It's too heavy for me, '
says Rakmen, not only referring to the canoe he carries by the
lake. The trio go au large--into the wilderness, the unknown--for
three weeks of hiking, canoeing, and sleeping in tents. Despite the
familiar themes of 'man vs. nature' and 'man finds himself, '
Keyser spares readers clichés. The characters raise questions to
which there are no easy answers, or no pleasant ones, and Keyser
wisely allows that. Rakmen learns that life can be excruciating as
well as hopeful, and readers will be pleased when his story ends on
an optimistic note. This debut novel works on many levels: it
presents well-developed characters, a solid story arc, and scenes
of rugged survivalism. VERDICT: A subtly touching tale of
liberation from grief that, with its sincere existential
questioning, will stay with readers and may leave teens feeling the
urge to go au large themselves."--School Library
Journal--Journal
"Keyser's debut novel is an exquisite and enthralling exploration
of loss, love, and healing. Rakmen, 15, is stuck going with his
mother to what he calls the 'dead baby club, ' a support group both
for parents who have lost their children and for surviving
siblings. Rakmen's baby sister, Dora, died in his arms, and he
blames himself for not noticing that she was in distress until it
was too late. The newest members are Mrs. Tatlas, his science
teacher whose child was stillborn, and her 10-year-old daughter,
Jacey, who is immediately drawn to Rakmen. Though he has an uneasy
relationship with the girl, since any brotherly feelings he has for
Jacey remind him of his dead sister, to his surprise, he finds
himself traveling to Canada with Jacey and Mrs. Tatlas and
embarking on a long-distance canoe trip, paddling and portaging
through the wilderness. Whether Keyser is describing sensations,
like holding a baby or riding the rapids in a canoe, or Rakmen's
palpable grief--'a sludgy wave of pain'--she does so with evocative
language and a delicate touch. With a cast of diverse well-rounded
characters, poignant relationships that never become schmaltzy, and
a compelling high-stakes adventure, this vivid, moving exploration
of grief and recovery hits all the right notes."--starred,
Booklist--Journal
"Talking about death is difficult, but there are times in each
person's life when there is no way to avoid such a conversation.
Separate traumatic events in the characters' lives in The Way Back
from Broken have forced each of them to confront the topic of death
and dying, difficult as that may be. What is more, each must also
come to terms with being a survivor and the many emotions that
brings--guilt, fear, anger, and of course, overwhelming sadness.
This overwhelming sadness gets the book off to a slow start; the
situations and relationships appear to be depressing and hopeless.
'Not gonna be a happy ending to that story, ' writes
fifteen-year-old Rakmen in his journal of tragedies, and it seems
to be true for this book as well. However, the story becomes both
compelling and hopeful when Rakmen and his 'crazy' teacher Leah,
along with her ten-year-old daughter, Jacey, leave on a summer trip
to Canada. This is where progress is finally made in bravely
experiencing their grief and learning how to find the strength to
live with it. A valuable theme in the book is how relationships can
lead us back from broken. The shared experiences and honest
discussion of their emotions are what are able to help Rakmen,
Leah, and Jacey to begin a journey of healing. This book is a
heartbreaker, but any reader can benefit from its message of
honesty, resilience, and courage."--VOYA--Journal
"This poignant tale explores grief through a 15-year-old boy and a
10-year-old girl, both of whom have lost infant siblings. For 10
months after his newborn sister's death, Rakmen Cannon has
grudgingly joined his mother at 'dead baby club, ' his term for
weekly bereavement support meetings in their Portland, Oregon,
neighborhood. There, he recognizes his biology teacher, Leah
Tatlas, and meets her preteen daughter, Jacey, who instantly grows
attached to him. At the end of the school year, Leah invites Rakmen
to join them on a summer trip to a remote lake cabin in Canada.
Though he suspects it's a terrible idea, Rakmen reluctantly agrees
to go, because his parents announce they need to work on their
crumbling marriage. The dilapidated cabin leaves little exciting
for Rakmen to do―and occasionally little for readers to follow,
though it does provide the setting for quiet moments of
introspection and friendship between sullen Rakmen and curious
Jacey. The pace builds during a tense final act―an unexpectedly
frightening canoe-camping trip the three of them undertake at
Leah's insistence. A few plot twists seem unnecessarily harrowing,
and the story's initial pace coupled with the unsettling subject
matter of infant deaths may cause readers to occasionally stop and
process. But Rakmen's and Jacey's journeys to make peace with their
sadness make the emotional ride worthwhile. A quiet and memorable
story of how paddling in the wilderness forces two unlikely friends
to face their grief and embrace their power."―Kirkus
Reviews--Journal
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