Ashes to Asheville
by Sarah Dooley
Ashes to Asheville will make you relearn the definition of family. This book, written by Sarah Dooley, starts in a small town in West Virginia. Two sisters, Zany and Fella, along with their grandmother’s dog, Haberdashery, take their mother’s ashes and set off on an overnight road trip to their mom’s favorite place: Asheville, North Carolina. Along the way, the sisters face many challenges and meet many interesting characters. They also learn the true definition of family.
Zany and Fella do not have a ‘normal’ family. They grew up with two mothers (Mama Shannon and Mama Lacy), who loved each other and raised their kids like any other parents would, despite their marriage not even being legal. Tragedy struck after the death of Mama Lacy. The family became torn apart after the court ruled that Fella should live with her grandmother, Ms. Madison since Mama Shannon shared no blood with her. From start to finish, Ashes to Asheville defies tradition, and the uniqueness of this book really made me fall in love with it.
The sisters’ secret journey to North Carolina starts off fine but takes a turn for the worse when Mama Lacy’s ashes are stolen from the car. They catch up to the thief, a man named Adam, and then their borrowed car breaks down. The thief apologizes to the sisters after hearing their story. He returns their stolen items and offers them a ride as far south as his destination. Adam and the sisters grow closer once he tells them his story. Zany offers to park Adam’s truck, and then continues driving to Asheville without telling him. This part of the book is a little bit confusing and unrealistic because of all of the events that take place. The author should have made the sisters have a different outcome other than getting their things stolen.
The sisters nearly reach Asheville when they are caught by Mama Shannon and Ms. Madison. As they begin driving home, Fella begs them to go to Asheville. After many tears, the family agrees. The most heartfelt part of this book comes at the end, when Zany, Ms. Madison, Fella, and Mama Shannon finally fulfill Mama Lacy’s last wish. This book will make you cry, though it can be a bit unrealistic at times. Overall, the book preaches a message of acceptance and shows that families can come in almost any form, no matter how strange.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes an adventure story with great characters and lots of emotion. The uniqueness of this story took me by surprise, and I would definitely read it again. I can recommend Ashes to Asheville to anyone in middle school or high school, as the characters are relatable and well-written, but the story may be harder for younger kids to understand. The plot of this book, while a bit unrealistic at times, stays on track with the overall message. I really liked the use of an untraditional couple and family, along with the simple end goal they wanted to achieve. In general, I would read this book again, and if you haven’t already, you should too.
ν Reviewed by Hadley DiFiore, 10th grade,
NewGate School, Sarasota, FL
Tomorrow’s Child / Jan 2019 / Pg 30
