Life on the Refrigerator Door - Alice Kuipers

Paperback, 240 pages

Published May 2nd 2008 (first published August 28th 2007

Life on the Refrigerator Door is a poignant and deeply moving first novel about the bonds of love and frustration that tie mothers and daughters together. Told entirely in a series of notes left on the kitchen fridge — some casual, some intimate, some funny, some angry — it is the story of nine months in the life of 15-year-old Claire and her single mother. Preoccupied with their busy separate lives, rarely in the same room at the same time, they talk to each other in a series of short snippets that reflect the daily drama of school, boyfriends, work and chores that make up their days. Yet the mundane soon becomes extraordinary when a crisis overtakes their lives—a momentous change that will redefine their relationship and unfold in their exchanges on the refrigerator door.

Next time you find yourself wondering the shelves at borders, pick this up. When you are scrolling through books add this one to your cart. This book needs to be read by everybody.

This book is all about the relationship between a mother and a daughter. The two don't often talk to eachother in person much as they are both always on the run and are very busy. So, they keep in contact through short notes, posted on their refigerator door. This style of writing was so nice to read. It was light, short, yet the notes all held such deep meaning, and for an author to be able to bring tears to my eyes after a sentence of 3 words, well. She's incredible.

I won't go to much into physical aspects of the characters and such, since really, there isn't much desription of them. But this isn't a bad thing. It was nice to read about these two characters who don't have special qualities, or perfect hair or who are the 'IT' girls. These were just two normal characters, like you and me.

I cannot descibe how close I hold this book to my heart. It means so much to me reading about what Clare must deal with, and the stress that is put upon her shoulders. I can relate to her in the problem she went through, though I cannot empathize with her on such a big loss, I can relate to the problems before. But I'll leave that for you to discover.

Please read this, it'll only take you half an hour, but the meaning behind the book will stick with you long after.

5/5