The line tender by Kate Allen.

The line tender by Kate Allen. Dutton Children’s Books 2019. 

Grief, its nuances, and people's varying reactions are sensitively explored and portrayed in this debut novel.

It has been five years since Lucy's mother died, and the summer she is 13 brings about the death of her best and oldest friend. 

There is people's grief and coping (or otherwise) in the immediate aftermath of Fred's death, but also the slow healing and reminiscences of Lucy's mother. 

It doesn't hide from the fact that grieving is not a short-term thing, but the ripples continue throughout life. 

What is refreshing, is the number of men who are portrayed as people who grieve, who have emotions - albeit, quite quietly and understated.