The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker

"So that was all it took," I thought. "That was all it took for me to feel like I had all the power in the world. One morning, one moment, one yellow-haired boy. It wasn't so much after all."

Meet Chrissie...

Chrissie is eight and she has a secret: she has just killed a boy. The feeling made her belly fizz like soda pop. Her playmates are tearful and their mothers are terrified, keeping them locked indoors. But Chrissie rules the roost -- she's the best at wall-walking, she knows how to get free candy, and now she has a feeling of power that she never gets at home, where food is scarce and attention scarcer.

Twenty years later, adult Chrissie is living in hiding under a changed name. A single mother, all she wants is for her daughter to have the childhood she herself was denied. That's why the threatening phone calls are so terrifying. People are looking for them, the past is catching up, and Chrissie fears losing the only thing in this world she cares about, her child.

Paperback, 352 pages

PublishedMay 18, 2021

by Riverhead Books

5/5 stars

This is Nancy Tucker's debut and my goodness that was an intense ride.  I didn't know what to expect but by the time I impulse purchased this book (thank you Instagram readers), I'd kinda forgot the plot and just jumped in.  The opening line 'I killed a little boy today' had me bracing for an emotional read.

The First Day of Spring is an emotional, heartbreaking read but it's one I couldn't turn away from.  The writing was spot on, Chrissie's voice gave this story the authenticity that matched the story.

Jumping back and forth between Julia and Chrissie, with back story, painted such a vivid picture of her childhood.  Given the dark plot this book is humorous at times and that was needed and appreciated. Chrissie speaks her mind with a total lack of respect and caring.  It took awhile for me to even like her and over time and revelation that changed.  Being only 8 years old when the book begins make this all the more disturbing.

Hats off to Nancy Tucker for this 5 star read, I can't wait to see what comes next.  Maybe by that time Chrissie will have faded from memory.

This book is part of my 2021 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge (#54).