The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson. HarperCollins, 1978.

(One of my all-time favorite Paterson novels.) Distance brings you nearer.

Paterson uses the third person in this and most of her novels, first person being too egotistical, in her view (some essay/lecture of hers). But the voices of the characters are so vivid, so alive, it could be written in crayon and I’d still forget the words existed. It’s the story of a little girl tossed from foster home to foster home, a girl who decided long ago that if nobody’s going to want her, there’s no point trying to be want-able. Yet, suddenly she’s stuck with someone who is willing to love her unconditionally. Why? Love, grace, hope. Paterson’s trademarks. Beautiful and authentic.