ONCE IN A TOWN CALLED MOTH by Trilby Kent

If you know me, you know that Trilby Kent once, many years ago, was a student at the school in which I taught. She has grown into a gifted and versatile writer and I love every novel she crafts. You can imagine my joy when I found “Once in a Town Called Moth” on Net Galley.

I never know what theme or topic Trilby may choose to address, but I always know that I will be drawn in by it. Here’s the overview from NG:

Description

Ana is not your typical teenager. She grew up in a tiny Mennonite colony in Bolivia, and her mother fled the colony when Ana was a young girl. Now Ana and her father have also fled, and Ana doesn’t know why. She only knows that something was amiss in their tight-knit community. Arriving in Toronto, Ana has to fend for herself in this alien environment, completely isolated in a big city with no help and no idea where to even begin. But begin she does: she makes a friend, then two. She goes to school and tries to understand the myriad unspoken codes and rules. She is befriended by a teacher. She goes to the library, the mall, parties. And all the while, she searches for the mother who left so long ago, and tries to understand her father — also a stranger in a strange land, with secrets of his own.
This is a beautifully told story that will resonate with readers who have struggled with being new and unsure in a strange place, even if that place is in a classroom full of people they know. Ana’s story is unique but universal; strange but familiar; extraordinary but ordinary: a fish out of water tale that speaks to us all

—————————————————

Once again Trilby has created an unforgettable set of characters and told their story to us with her lyrical prose. Trilby is able to convey mood and emotion through the smallest of details, painting a picture for the reader that stays indelibly in mind.

I only wished that this story did not have to end!

Pick up a copy of ONCE IN TOWN CALLED MOTH – you won’t be disappointed.