A Sky for Us Alone

Gr 9 Up—A gritty portrait of poverty and the opioid crisis in the rural South. Eighteen-year-old Harlowe Compton struggles to stay hopeful after growing up in poverty-ridden Strickland County, a present-day coal mining region. The helplessness he feels surrounding his brother's recent murder is compounded by his mother's addiction to prescription pain killers and the grip of the Prater family, who control everything from the mines to local law enforcement. A chance meeting with the new girl, Tennessee Moore, changes his outlook as he imagines the possibility of having a life with her far away from Strickland and the bleak future that seems inevitable. The strength of this debut novel is in the steady growth of the protagonist from victim to unlikely hero of his circumstances. When Harlowe realizes that his brother's death is connected to illegal activity surrounding the mine and its owner, he is forced to glean wisdom from every interaction with peers and elders to save himself from the same fate. Readers will be reminded of plotlines from Riverdale, and will appreciate the thoughtful character development and suspenseful pacing. The thrill and frustration of first love are experienced alongside the full-on struggle for survival by major and minor characters. Russell's ability to capture the underworld of drug violence while keeping the story edifying is balanced through heartening scenes of rural life and love and believable dialogue.