Karen Hesse’s ‘Safekeeping’ unlike any book currently on the market

“Safekeeping,” by Karen Hesse, Feiwel and Friends, Sept. 18, 2012, $17.99 (ages 14 and up)

Everything changed when the American People’s Party took power. The president was assassinated and the government is going after citizens. Vigilantes run the streets. Police are making unexpected raids. Families are being torn apart.

Radley can’t quite grasp the scope of what’s happening in America. The teenager was been volunteering at an orphanage in Haiti when the president was killed. Now, all she knows is that she needs to get home. She needs to be with her parents.

With nothing more than a backpack, Radley begins the arduous trip back to Vermont. Travel restrictions are a nightmare and delays have become the norm. Radley arrives in New Hampshire expecting to see her parents, but no one is waiting for her amongst the see of strangers.

Exhausted, Radley takes stock of her situation — a dead cellphone, useless credit cards, no proper travel papers to cross state lines. Radley realizes she doesn’t have much of a choice and starts the long walk home.

“Safekeeping” is an introspective novel. Most of the time is spent alone in Radley’s head as she struggles in this new and terrifying world. This approach by author Karen Hesse makes Radley’s experiences deeply personal to both her and the reader. One can’t help but wonder what they would do if placed in the same position.

At around 300 pages, “Safekeeping” reads surprisingly fast. Part of that is because of the engrossing nature of the material. The other part is because of the inclusion of 50 photographs by the author herself. The photographs add to the haunting nature of the novel, providing a real-life ambiance to an already memorable journey.

“Safekeeping” is unlike any book currently on the market for teens. The world Karen Hesse creates is not difficult to imagine. The authenticity of her words and the actions of others makes this a novel to be read and reread time and time again.