Katherine Seligman

The summer of love is long gone but some people hope to prolong the “glory days”, some are searching for something, some are hiding, and some are just hoping to make it another day. This honest look at life on the streets details the daily routines of seeking shelter, food, money, and purpose. Follow Maddy while she navigates Golden Gate Park, investigating a crime that just won’t let her alone, and battles a past that simultaneously haunts her and keeps her going when times are tough.

Reading this elicited feelings of frustration regarding the state of things; the lack of help and the unwillingness to receive help when offered. The general attitudes of law enforcement and people towards homeless, and the attitudes of the homeless towards law enforcement and other people. Spotlighting the many issues that those who do not have permanent housing face while not glossing over the many reasons why.

I am thankful for the honest perspective I received by reading this book.

Thanks to @algonquinbooks and @kr.seligman for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ⁣… (mer)

This novel begins when a young homeless woman finds a dying man in the bushes of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Before she realizes what's going on, she also sees the face of the man who stabbed him. But this novel is not primarily about that, but about the people who sleep in the park when the weather's good and in a shelter when it isn't. Maddy becomes homeless once she ages out of the foster care system and her friends, a small group that sticks together for safety and support, come from a variety of backgrounds. Seligman explores what led Maddy to prefer life on the streets and touches on the issues of her friends and in this she is both humane and clear-eyed. These characters are real people, often with serious problems and she also shows how help can be both well-meaning and badly aimed.

The situation created in the beginning of the novel is more of a distraction and I never bought into Maddy's motivations for some of her actions, but it also served to show the impact on a family when one of its members choses to leave and live without a fixed address. I appreciated this novel more than I enjoyed it, although it never felt preachy and the way it illuminated the daily fabric of living homeless was something not often found.… (mer)

Maddy is living a rough life on the streets of San Francisco. After living homeless for years, she has scratched out a routine of rotating though friendly businesses and places to sleep and forged friendships. While not ideal, Maddy has no desire to return to where she has come from. Life in Golden Gate Park suits her just fine, that is, until she stumbles across a murder in progress. Maddy is left reeling, not knowing what to do or where to go... or who she can rely on.
Katherine Seligman has written a slow burn mystery with elements of the life of a homeless youth, which many do not have insight to everyday. Her description of Maddy's routine and the characters she encounters appear realistic. Seligman's research shows through. While the book has a quality story, the ending felt anticlimactic. I respect the author's choice to not make a tidy ending, but wish there was a crescendo to the story.
#AttheEdgeoftheHaight… (mer)