A Handful of Time

Written By: Kit Pearson

If ever a novel could make me feel so depressed yet so empowered at the very same time, it would be Kit Pearson's novel A Handful of Time. After reading the novel, I felt as though somebody had taken the very intimate details of my life and used them against me, like a slap in the face. However, when I first started reading the novel, I felt such a special personal connection to the main character of Patricia. Patricia was described as a young, painfully shy and nervous girl who was spending the summer at her family's lake. The reason for doing so was because her parents were working out the details of their separation. Even though the situation was portrayed differently, I still connected to Patricia in the sense that I too, dealt with the divorce of my parents at a young age. Likewise, I spent most of my childhood summers at my grandparent's house and therefore I felt a sense of empathy for Patricia. I was also a painfully shy little girl and so I saw myself reflected in the character of Patricia. As Patricia travelled back in time and the details of her mother's past were revealed, I felt such a sickening sense in the pit of my stomach. As I read further, memories of my own past, reflected in the character of Patricia's mother Ruth, came flooding back at me. Like Ruth, I was treated completely different from anyone else in my family. Due to unfortunate circumstances, I constantly felt alienated, rejected and out of place at "home." Because I was so different from my family in way of thoughts, beliefs and actions, I was consistently accused of thinking that I was better than everyone else. Even though Ruth's life experiences were not as extreme as mine were, reading about her alienation from her family made me depressed for remembering long forgotten woes. But, reading about how Ruth created an independent life for herself, one that was quite successful, gave me a sense of peace. I thought about how I came out on top despite the adversary in my life. I maintained extremely high marks throughout school, made a positive reputation for myself in the community and moved out on my own at age eighteen. Reading the sentence "Sometimes it might be best to forget the past or at least accept it, and then keep on going" empowered me. That sentence reflects the strength and power I see in myself today. A Handful of Time allowed me to reflect on my accomplishments as an individual. I thought about how I put the past behind me a long time ago and I am proud of the life I have created for myself. I have the most wonderful and understanding relationship with both my mother and my brother today and the woes of the past have been long forgiven. A Handful of Time reminded me of my own life struggle, but one in which I proudly overcame.

Storytelling Style
The description of a sad and lonely girl, confused by the details of her parent's separation enabled an effective transition into an altered reality. Feelings as such coupled with anxiety over spending the summer with a family not well known, makes it easy for a reader to suspend disbelief when Patricia travels back in time. Patricia is a believable character with whom readers can relate to. Patricia is forced to spend the summer at a lake, an environment she is not used to. Her cousins tease and make fun of her and all the while Patricia is dealing with feelings of confusion over her parent's separation. Patricia's experiences and feelings are those of which some individuals are familiar with. Therefore, seeing the story from Patricia's point of view enables the reader to believe the story as if it could possibly be true. Also enabling the reader to view the story as true, the setting is described in deep and thorough details. The images are described so in-depth that one can imagine oneself lying upon the cool bed at La Petite or running over the hot sand at the beach.

The Main Character
The growth development shown in Patricia throughout the course of the novel allows readers to suspend their disbelief of the modern fantasy. Readers believe the story to be true because it is not just a story about a girl travelling back in time, it is the story of a girl who learns the truth of her mother's past and is enabled to create her own future. Patricia is first presented as a shy young girl who bottles her emotions and is teased and taunted by her cousins. By the end of the novel, Patricia realizes the potential in herself, sharing her thoughts and feelings with her mother and sharing her talent of cooking with the entire family. As readers see how Patricia develops over time from a painfully shy child to a more confident young lady, the story of travelling back in time into a distant past is made believable.

A Handful of Time forced me to realize that I will truly never regret the unwanted memories of my past and enabled me to realize the beauty of my future.