Peggy is eight years old
when her survivalist father packs a bag and takes her to a remote forest. Leaving her mother behind, her father announces to her that there has been a major disaster, and they are the only to humans that survived. Deep in the forest, in the middle of nowhere, Peggy has to learn how to live with the memories of a mother she considers dead. Hunger, hardships and fear will be their life for years.Their endless days are numbered only by the changing of the seasons.
Things start changing
When Peggy finds a pair of boots, things are about to change. If , as her father says, they are the last people on earth, who does taht pair of boots belong to? Is there someone else living out there? Maybe they are not the only survivors. Or maybe her father has been lying all thise years.
When people review books, there will be a handful of times when they find it difficult to describe their thoughts and feelings about a story. This is one of those times for me.
Our Endless Numbered Days is a book that has received much critisism about its difficult content.I should start by pointing out that this is not a happy book. Most readers are used to happy endings by now. If that is what you are looking for, you will not find it in this story.
That having been said, it doesn’t mean this is a bad story. It is, however, not an esay read. The kidnapping of a child, even by their own father, is never a happy thing to read about. Your instict kicks in, and you feel the need to see this story through with the child safely back home.
From the first chapter, the reader knows that Peggy eventually returns to her mother safely. They also know that the father is not there with them. Is he in prison? Is he dead? We don’t know yet. The fact that Peggy is back, though, doesn’t mean everything ends well.
This is a tale of loneliness, pain, and hopelessness. Carefully detailed and very well written, it guides you through the stories through fragments. You will go back and forth, from the time Peggy lived in a happy family to moving into the wild with her father, and also the present. Attaining only pieces of the story every time, you will start forming a picture of what life was, and is, for this unlucky little girl.
However, you won’t be ready for a lot of the details that will be coming your way towards the end. There are parts you won’t know until the very last pages, and those little details will make all the difference.
Hard as this read might be, it is interesting and worth your time. We must always remember that life isn’t always easy or happy. Sometimes this is reflected on books, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth reading.
