Run wild with Amy and Lan

 

 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑  I found life with Amy and Lan on the Frith farm a pure delight. It reminded me of my less wild younger years growing up on a farm, too, though without the benefit of the lack of supervision these two rambunctious 7-year-olds seemed to enjoy.

In Amy and Lan we see the world through the eyes of our two young narrators who try to make sense of the adult world they inhabit. Frith is a commune, of sorts, being a farm purchased by three families as a means of getting back to nature and a simpler way of life. They grow their own food and raise their own animals. There are many tough lessons and hardships to face but Amy and Lan bounce from event to event taking the ups and downs in their stride. The complexities of adult interactions are noticed, even if not understood, and the way they interpret them is naively sweet and perceptive. They have an amazing radar for emotion and underlying tensions between their parents though not the life experience to see what these might mean for them.

I couldn't put this book down and felt a real sadness upon completion. Sadie Jones is a terrific writer and made the world of Amy and Lan a magical place full of simplicity, joy and tough realities. This was a journey through the innocence of childhood without the entanglements of tech and complex social media and norms. Brilliant.