Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek

In Tomato Girl, Jayne Pupek writes from the point of view of a young girl, Ellie Sanders, whose life is falling apart. Her mother has "moods," which is a nice way to say she is mentally ill and getting worse every day. Ellie usually knows what her mother needs and how to calm her, but when her mother falls down the stairs, badly injures herself and her unborn baby, and her father brings home a local girl who sells tomatoes in the general store to care for the house, her mother is furious and sinks deeper into insanity. Ellie might be young, but she's very wise and quickly understands that her father is in love/lust with the beautiful, teenage tomato girl.

The book starts at nearly the end of the story. Ellie's mother is lost in another world, and her father has run away with Tess, the tomato girl, leaving Ellie responsible for things back home. From there, Pupek takes us back to the time of the accident, and through Ellie's eyes, we see her mother's thin ties to sanity break and her father--the one person she felt she could always count on--abandon his family emotionally and physically for a girl not much older than his daughter.

Pupek's writing is exceptional, making it impossible to turn away from the scenes that I can only describe as haunting. She brings Ellie to life--her insecurities, her vulnerability, her strength, her unconditional love for her parents, her loyalty to her mother--and I loved her from the first page. I felt sympathetic toward Ellie's mother because she seemed to love Ellie, and the hurt she caused her daughter was tied to her illness. I felt bad for Tess, too, when I read about the home life she escaped, which eventually pushes Ellie's father to action and out of his daughter's life. But I wish I was able to reach into the book and give Ellie's father a serious slap in the face and kick in the rear. On one hand, I understand the pain and loneliness he must have felt being married to a mentally ill woman, but he seemed to make one bad choice after another without showing any signs of realizing that his actions were wrong. He was so taken by Tess that he put her needs ahead of his own daughter, and most of the time he was more like a father to Tess than a lover. His relationship with her was wrong on so many levels, and his ultimate betrayal of Ellie had me near tears.

Here's a passage from Tomato Girl that showcases Pupek's beautiful writing and her ability to perfectly capture Ellie's guilt and heartache.

I don't know how long I cried, but it felt like hours. For the first time in days, I felt clean inside. It had taken so much of me, trying to be good for God and to keep Mama from sinking into her sad mood. I'd held so much inside, I couldn't hold it any longer. I needed somewhere to let my worries go. Clara's arms was just the place.

When my sobs slowed, Clara wrapped me in a heavy blue quilt covered in stars. My fingers traced the gold stitches. 'This quilt belonged to my mother,' she said. 'Whenever I have a hard day, I curl up in Mama's quilt and dream my troubles away. You give each worry you have to one of the stars. Remember that. Don't matter how many worries you got because there are always more stars than worries. (pages 212-213)

Ellie's friends Clara and Jericho are bright spots in a dark book. Ellie is forced to deal with things most adults couldn't handle, and to hear the events that transpire in the voice of an innocent child makes Tomato Girl a difficult read. But Pupek's strong writing and captivating characters make it impossible to put the book down. Tomato Girl will make you cry, it will make you angry, it will make your heart hurt, but it's well worth the emotional roller coaster.

Tomato Girl also was reviewed by:

bookgirl's nightstand
Jackets & Covers
Redlady's Reading Room
She Is Too Fond of Books
A Season to Read
Book Addiction
Peeking Between the Pages

If you've also reviewed it, let me know in the comments, and I'll add your link!

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of Tomato Girl from the author for review purposes.