I hadn't heard of this book before. I found it while stockchecking at work, and thought it looked interesting (no wonder it takes me so long to finish stock-checking). It had never been checked out before either, but that probably says more about our library than the book itself.

The story is about a family who are making their way from Mineola, Texas to Bompa's house in Gaylord in their car, trading their clothes and other possessions for petrol as they go. The family are a mother, father, brother and sister. We learn early on that the family have recently suffered the death of the youngest baby son from yellow fever, and have decided to move away for a fresh start at Bompa's house, shedding all reminders of their past life as they go. In their profound grief, they take the body of the youngest son with them when they leave Mineola, digging it out of the grave and keeping it in the boot of the car during their journey.

The bereavement has a severe effect on the family, and the children seem to feel that they themselves are being stripped away as they lose more and more of their toys and clothes to other children. The mother trades away her wedding dress and wedding rings, while the father gives away his wallet and the contents of the glove box. They are empty, and seem to be trying to get rid of their grief by getting rid of every physical possession that made them what they were before. They hope for a new baby to make the family complete again.

The unusual thing about this book is the narration. Each chapter is told in turns by the little boy and the little girl, both of whom have distinctive ways of understanding what is happening to them, and they relate events in ways that make you think carefully about what is actually happening, and are quite heartbreaking at times. The little girl for instance, uses her 'doll-family' to act out how she'd like her 'people-family' to be - her voice in particular gives the book an individuality and a warmth, but at the end of the day, this is a story about tragedy and loss that is worth reading for the children's perspectives on their journey.