I want to preface my review by saying that I am perhaps one of the hardest-to-please readers of contemporary fiction out there. I rarely find a book of contemporary fiction that I enjoy enough to actually recommend to friends. 

With that caveat out of the way, I'm happy to say that this book is pretty fantastic, and I will happily recommend it to others. 

This book hooked me from the very start, and I finished it in almost record time. Ginny Moon's voice feels authentic and raw, and while I feared that her single-minded obsession with her Baby Doll might become <i>tedious</i>, as the layers of the onion peel away, you begin to understand more and more why this particular subject in many ways defines and dominates who Ginny is. Her story is affecting without ever being cloying or maudlin; because Ginny's voice is so spare, we are able to feel the heartbreak of neglect and the hardships of the foster care system without ever feeling as if we are being pandered to or emotionally manipulated by the author. You will root for Ginny and be frustrated by her at the same time -- much as the adults in her life are. You may even be a touch sad, as I was, when the novel is over -- not because the conclusion isn't satisfying (because it is), but because you enjoyed the time you spent with Ginny so much. 

The only warning I will give is that sensitive cat lovers (of which I am one myself) may find some upsetting content here. It is not dwelt on long, but I did put the book aside for a moment and reminded myself that it is fiction, and that no cats were harmed in the making of this novel. 

Recommended -- a very engaging look at an important subject.

Touching and eloquent debut novel, starring a one-of-a-kind heroine readers will not quickly forget. Brilliant!