★★★★★
Safe Harbour is a YA contemporary novel with important themes of homelessness, mental illness, trust and friendship.
"I don't think he misses the boat at all. But I do. I miss the slap of the waves on the hull and rocking in a half doze on the glinting sea. I miss Dad, too. But never mind."
Harbour has had an unconventional childhood to say the least. She's living in a tent in Toronto with her faithful dog, waiting for her dad to join her from Florida on their yacht. They're planning to winter in Toronto, which the locals tell her is crazy. When her dad is late arriving, and her credit card gets declined, Harbour starts to worry about what she'll do as winter approaches. She has to learn to accept help from a homeless girl called Lise.
This book was a pleasure to read. Each page kept me wanting more and more. The characters were delightfully real and I felt so much for them.
As I was reading, sat in my cosy warm house with wind, rain and even snow raging outside, I began to feel very grateful for what I have. Reading about Harbour, Lise and Tuff just trying to stay warm and fed made me feel incredibly lucky and also somewhat guilty. It's always impressive when a book makes you think and look inwards. It's nice to be reminded at times to appreciate the things we mostly take for granted.
Another thing I loved about this book - we get closure. I wasn't left with a cliffhanger, I didn't have to make up the ending in my head. I felt satisfied with where Harbour's story finished. That's not to say there weren't threads still to tug at, but we can't have all the answers can we.
I would recommend this to any fans of contemporary YA. It's very well written and will easily suck you in. Can't wait to check out other books by Christina Kilbourne.
