Rating: 
Summary: Tragic and Uplifting
Review: Year of the Smoke Girl is one of the big surprises this year. I was not expecting the novel to have so much depth in its characters, nor its powerful storyline and especially not the unexpected twists that occurred so frequently. Smoke Girl is one of those books you only find once in a lifetime.Everyone has those moments where they are searching for themselves, searching for the truth about some aspect of their lives, searching for the one true love or looking for meaning in their heritage. Khatia is looking for all of the above. It seems like she has it all: a college degree, a beautiful, strong girlfriend, a decent though strained relationship with her father and a successful job in New York City. But a piece is missing. She's just not fulfilled. So, she and her girlfriend take off for Amsterdam, looking for a great adventure; Khatia looking for the answer to a question she's not sure of. Once the initial move takes place, Khatia's life changes completely. She is thrown into brand new situations, brand new locations and with brand new people that shape and mold her into something of a new personality. There are up's and down's along this path, and it seems that there will be no answer. Until she goes back to her mother's hometown of San Francisco. And once again upheaval is imminent. When you pick up this book, be sure to set aside some quiet time. It's not one you'll want to put aside.
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