Book Review: Angelhood
Angelhood. A.J. Cattapan. Vinspire Publishing, South Carolina, April 12, 2015. Trade Paperback, Kindle, and Audible Audiobook, 200 pages.
Reviewed by Elizabeth Melvin.
Angelhood is the tale of seventeen-year-old Nanette, who ended her own life and now must learn to navigate her old high school as a disembodied guardian angel. With the aid of other guardians, she learns to help her charge, Vera, avoid the darkness of her own suicide plans. While on her mission, Nanette is confronted with the pain of Cecille, the sister she left behind. Cecille is coping with the divorce of her parents as her mother battles cancer.
Wrought with the heavy concepts of teen angst and the crucible of life’s complications, Angelhood could have been an uncomfortable read yet Cattapan keeps the story palatable by infusing the text with characters who emanate hope. There is a standard light versus dark battle based on Christian fundamentals. Yet, the work is not preachy; it is more an exploration of grace.
From the moment Nanette pulls the trigger, the reader shares in her confrontations, her fears, and her memories. Much of the information comes through Nanette’s incessant questioning and the short quirky responses of Warren, another guardian sent to protect a teacher at the school. Nanette grows in empathy and compassion for herself and her world as the story progresses. The surrounding characters are each unique and shaded in both sadness and hope. The fellow guardians share stories and support, though they often quip and disappear when Nanette needs them most.
Eventually, she is able to bring her sister close to Vera, allowing her the two things she wants most: time with her sister and protection for her charge. Cattapan takes the reader on a quick and deft flight through a tragic situation rising to a unique imagining of redemption. The ending may leave some readers wistful things don’t always end so sweetly in real life. However, this book is appropriate for all ages and may spark some conversations between parents and their kids that could help to avoid the brutality of reality Cattapan describes in Angelhood, her first novel.