When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman

When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman

Release Date: 5/10/11
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 304
Grade: B

I won a copy of this book through the "First Reads" program on GoodReads.com

"When God Was A Rabbit" is a coming of age tale of siblings Elly and Joe Maud. Joe is five years older and by his own definition is "different". Joe feels a strong sense of responsibility towards his little sister...a need to protect and watch over her. Elly, meanwhile is precocious, questions everything and very funny in her observations about life. When Elly is school aged she befriends Jenny Penny who is her "other half". Elly's family moves away and Elly loses touch with Jenny. Molestation and domestic violence are hinted at as the reasons behind how Elly and Jenny lose touch and why Elly has such a hard time making commitments throughout her life.

The story told in two parts, adolescence and adulthood, with a fascinating cast of characters. Ultimately this is a tale of loss...loss of friendship, family, innocence, one's self.  The character's grapple with a lot of loss, but are able to find those things that are most precious to them again and learn to hold on for dear life.

Sarah Winman is an engaging and witty writer. She grabbed my attention with the first page and did not let go. I felt there were a few questions left unresolved, but based on the book as a whole, I believe the intention was to leave those answers up to the reader's imagination. I did enjoy how the brother and sister related to one another, they held nothing back from each other. The kind of relationship those with siblings usually only dream of. I hope to see more books from Sarah Winman in the future.