BETWEEN TWO SKIES
Bayou Perdu, a tiny fishing town way, way down in Louisiana, is home to sixteen-year-old Evangeline Riley. She has her best friends, Kendra and Danielle; her wise, beloved Mamere; and back-to-back titles in the under-sixteen fishing rodeo. But, dearest to her heart, she has the peace that only comes when she takes her skiff out to where there is nothing but sky and air and water and wings. It’s a small life, but it is Evangeline’s. And then the storm comes, and everything changes. Amid the chaos and pain and destruction comes Tru — a fellow refugee, a budding bluesman,
Bayou Perdu, a tiny fishing town way, way down in Louisiana, is home to sixteen-year-old Evangeline Riley. She has her best friends, Kendra and Danielle; her wise, beloved Mamere; and back-to-back titles in the under-sixteen fishing rodeo. But, dearest to her heart, she has the peace that only comes when she takes her skiff out to where there is nothing but sky and air and water and wings. It’s a small life, but it is Evangeline’s. And then the storm comes, and everything changes. Amid the chaos and pain and destruction comes Tru — a fellow refugee, a budding bluesman, a balm for Evangeline’s aching heart. Told in a strong, steady voice, with a keen sense of place and a vivid cast of characters, here is a novel that asks compelling questions about class and politics, exile and belonging, and the pain of being cast out of your home. But above all, this remarkable debut tells a gently woven love story, difficult to put down, impossible to forget.
Hurricane Katrina sets a teenage girl adrift. But a new life — and the promise of love — emerges in this rich, highly readable debut.
14. Ms. Bell, the counselor at Brookdale High, reaches out to Evangeline. Do you think Evangeline would have sought help on her own? What difference does Ms. Bell make in Evangeline’s life?
15. Communications technology has changed a lot since 2005. Do you think Evangeline would have lost touch with Danielle and Tru if Katrina had hit in 2017? Why or why not?
16. The title of this book comes from a famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Why is that poem so important to Evangeline’s family and all the Cajuns of Louisiana? Why are so many women in the family named after the poem? What experience does Evangeline Riley share with Longfellow’s Evangeline?
17. Between Two Skies ends with a brief update from 2007. Try to imagine what has happened to the Rileys and their friends in the time between then and now. What career has Evangeline pursued? Is Tru still in her life? Where is Mandy? Are Mr. and Mrs. Riley still married and living in Louisiana?