Details:
- author: Marcia Argueta Mickelson
- full title: The Weight of Everything
- narrator: Victoria Villarreal
- genre: young adult
- topics: #familydrama, #deathofaparent, #alcoholism, #teenlove
- publisher: Tantor Audio
- publish date: 02 May 2023
- timing: 6:46:00
My Rating of the Audiobook:
- content: 💙💙💙💙.5
- narration: 💙💙💙💙💙
Excerpt from the Book:
Today, it is six months and two days since she died. I gave Dad time to mourn, but it wasn't enough. No amount of time will ever be enough; I understand that. I don't feel any better about her death than I did six months ago, but I haven't stopped living. He doesn't want to live this life without her, though.Nothing matters to him anymore. The children he helped create and nurture for years are only ghosts to him.
Whatever affection he had for us seems to have died when she did. Maybe those feelings only existed because of her, and now that she's gone, we're gone to him too.
My Thoughts:
Sarah’s mom died in a car accident. Because her father can’t face the death of his wife, his drinking gets out of control. Therefore, Sarah has to leave fine arts boarding school and enroll in a local school because she has to take care of her father and younger brother.
The Weight of Everything is a beautiful young adult novel that introduces some heavier themes (loss of a parent, alcoholism, mental health, depression). I especially liked Guatemalan history and art that is woven into this story. Narration by Victoria Villarreal is great. She made Sarah and her story come to life.
About the Author:
Marcia Argueta Mickelson was born in Guatemala and immigrated to the United States as an infant. She attended high school in New Jersey and then graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in American Studies. She is the author of five novels including Star Shining Brightly, The Huaca, and Where I Belong, and she is a winner of the Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Honor. She lives in Texas with her husband and three sons.
About the Narrator:
Victoria Villarreal is a first-generation Mexican American bilingual voiceover and film and television actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she holds a BFA in musical theater with an acting emphasis. She is currently based in Los Angeles, California.
