Not everyone can get back up when they fall.

For Neef also known as Jennifer, moving from the inner city to a small Yorkshire town could be the new beginning she needs. Her mother Chrissy, prone to addictions as well as bad relationships, has uprooted the two of them to pursue her relationship with the latest man in her life, Barry, the landlord of a pub there.  She meets Danny, a sweet boy who loves flowers, is half Jamaican and (apart from his father) is the only person of color in the town. They become the closest of  friends, and ultimately more.  But neither comes from a strong family background (Jennifer’s father whenever he appears is sketchy at best, while Danny’s mother is dead, he lives with his grandmother who works at Barry’s pub, and his father drifts in and out of his life), and they are fighting poverty, racism and the ever looming specter of substance abuse which is a presence around them.  Their love is fierce, and they have such dreams….but will they be strong enough alone or together to fight through to a better life?
If you are looking for a coming-of-age story with plucky main characters you just know will get their happy ending, then this may not be the book you want to choose.  If instead you want to find some vivid, well-developed characters with whom to fall in love even if you suspect your heart will be broken along the way, then Wild Ground is a must read.  There are moments of happiness and joy mixed in with bleak despair, and it is not easy or comfortable.  It is, however, real, and hard to forget.  Readers of author like Julia Dahl, Caroline Leavitt or Alina Grabowski will find this book an excellent addition to their bookshelf.  My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me early access to this touching but at times brutal look at first love, adolescence, and the hard road of growing up.