Echo by Francesca Lia Block

Echo was one of the first FLB books that I cam in contact with. When I was in high school, one of my friends, Jessie Jo, was reading it for a book report. She sat behind me and when I turned around to talk to her, it was sitting there. I picked it up and began to read. I borrowed it for the rest of the day and had it done by the time I went to bed.

It is a short book but it spans years and, just like most of FLB's books, it is beautiful.

Echo is a small, plain girl who describes herself as elfish. Her father is a painter and her mother is PERFECT. Echo wants to be like her mother who is tall, simple, and beautiful. She cooks amazing dishes and never uses a recipe. Her garden is gorgeous because she listens to the flowers, putting her ears right up to their blooms. But Echo is not her mother and this becomes even more apparent when her father becomes ill. Echo feels like nobody sees her and she quits eating during the day, devouring Mexican food at night after drinking. One night she goes into the ocean and a quiet boy with wings saves her. He never talks. They never touch. Then he lets her go.

The story is told through Echo's relationships with other people. She is always falling hard but nothing ever seems quite right. Thorn can't handle her not eating. Smoke is afraid to get too close to her because he has given his life in exchange for his daughter's health. Valentine, who Echo wants to be, gets wrapped up in a lifestyle. The truth is that Echo needs to find herself. Echo needs to be okay being alone to be with someone.

FLB language is enchanting and this story can definitely be read in one day with ease.