windfall
Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith Windfall, by Jennifer E Smith is a story about luck. Who has the luck is up to the reader to decide. When Alice buys a winning lottery ticket for her best friend, Teddy, his luck appears to change, but will it change the two friends who share a rough childhood that was perhaps not as lucky as others? Although I enjoyed reading this book, I often felt I wanted it to be more, but more of what I was not really sure, it just seemed to be missing something. The relationship between Teddy and Alice is a bit frustrating as you never really understand what Teddy is thinking and why he is behaving the way he does, and the reactions of Alice do not always relate to her interactions with Teddy. Told from Alice’s point of view, naturally we get a truer sense of what is going on in her mind, and have an advantage of seeing inside her heart and can understand how she views luck based on her life story. As she wrestles with her difficulty with Teddy and his new life and different behaviour, she is forced to come to terms with some of her own ghosts and to finally talk about her loss and to learn to make decisions for herself, rather than base her choices on what she thinks others want her to do. Having lived with her aunt, uncle, and cousin since losing her parents, Alice does not consider herself truly one of the family, nor does she consider herself lucky to have these people who love her in her life. Although it is Teddy who wins the lottery, a lot of the plot focuses on the growth and happenings of those around him, and particularly the development of Alice and how the win causes her to rethink her life and where she is headed. It is a fun read – who hasn’t dreamed of winning the lottery. I recommend you to read this book and dream along with Teddy and Alice to what life can be like with a little windfall.