Review: Have You Found Her

Summary: And every week, there was the unspoken question, the one I didn’t know enough to ask myself : Have you found her yet? The one who reminds you of you? Twenty years after she lived at a homeless shelter for teens, Janice Erlbaum went back to volunteer. Now thirty-four years old and a successful writer, she’d changed her life for the better; now she wanted to help someone else–someone like the girl she’d once been. Then she met Sam. A brilliant nineteen-year-old junkie savant, the product of a horrifically abusive home, Sam had been surviving alone on the streets since she was twelve and was now struggling for sobriety against the adverse health effects of long-term drug abuse. Soon Janice found herself caring deeply for Sam, following her through detoxes and psych wards, halfway houses and hospitals, becoming ever more manically driven to save her from the sickness and sadness leftover from Sam’s terrible past. But just as Janice was on the verge of becoming the girl’s legal guardian, she made a shocking discovery: Sam was sicker than anyone knew, in ways nobody could have imagined. Written with startling candor and immediacy, Have You Found Her is the story of one woman’s quest to save a girl’s life–and the hard truths she learns about herself along the way. - randomhouse.com

A few months ago, I received an ARC of HAVE YOU FOUND HER by Janice Erlbaum. I read the book in less than a day and I must admit I was just blown away by her story. There is no other way for me to describe what happens in this book besides -- WOW! This book definitely proves that truth is stranger than fiction. I found that I couldn't put the book down, although at times I felt as if I were waiting for a huge train wreck to occur.

Just as Ms. Erlbaum did in GIRLBOMB, she once again shows that she has the ability to really "tell" a story. I loved her writing style -- it was engaging as well as brutally honest. While I was fascinated/apalled by Sam's story, I really enjoyed seeing the maturation of Janice. I appreciated her honesty about being "conned" by Samantha, but I really loved seeing how she ultimately handled the situation.

This book would be great for any book club. In fact, there is a reading guide available to jump-start your discussion (not that you'll need a lot more than just the book to get conversation rolling). There are so many issues to discuss such as friendship, support, addiction, betrayal, and love. The book will be available as a trade paperback on February 12th.

Also reviewed at:
Leafing Through Life