The Mosaic

September 1, 2017

Gr 10 Up-Pacifist Twyla is less than thrilled when she's assigned to the "Help a Vet" program for her required community service hours. Assigned to Marine Gabriel Finch, she finds him unwelcoming and mysterious, spending most of his time alone in a decommissioned silo. When he reveals to her the mosaic he has created out of artillery in the silo, Twyla's first impression of him is challenged. A stunning depiction of Uruk and Baghdad pre-war, with inspiration from The Epic of Gilgamesh, the mosaic is Gabriel's attempt to reconcile his feelings toward the war and to abate his PTSD. In an attempt to save his family's farm with the prize money, Twyla convinces Gabriel to submit the artwork to MOMA's "America's Next Great Artist" competition. Nationwide criticism and praise flood in, as the two separately reevaluate their purpose in life. Berkhout provides a realistic view of the complex effect wars have on veterans, and people's varying perspectives on the subject. Poignant descriptions ignite the setting. The characters have depth; readers will empathize with Gabriel as a survivor of PTSD, and will revel in the two's compassionate connection. Berkhout sensitively examines the loyalties we have to our ideals, to each other, and to our country. Some descriptions of war scenes may be shocking to readers. VERDICT A recommended selection for its appealing and thought-provoking plot. Recommend to fans of Patricia McCormick's Purple Heart.-Amy McInerney, Falmouth Elementary School, ME

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2017
Getting involved with an ex-Marine in war-focused Halo, Montana, is no picnic, especially for a teenage girl who needs to participate in a community-service Help a Vet program in order to graduate. Twyla Jane Lee and her boyfriend, Billy Goodwin, become drawn into the magnificent mural that is being made by veteran Gabriel Finch out of ammunition casings. But soon they become aware that the artist is in "as many pieces as his mosaic" and that there is local controversy about what he may or may not have done while at war in the Middle East. With Gabriel's permission, Twyla enters the artwork in a Museum of Modern Art contest in hopes that it will solve multiple problems. Berkhout spins an ambitious and sophisticated tale in an accessible first-person narrative that takes readers through Twyla's coming-of-age decision-making, angst, and eventual acceptance of the limitations of the universe. She also sheds light on underrepresented slices of life--the military, isolated, largely white rural communities with limited economic opportunity, war photographers--and the hidden world of decommissioned missile silos and raises readers' respect for the ancient literature and civilizations at the center of the world. If she can't quite manage to keep all the balls in the air at once, she does demonstrate both passion and talent. A rich and jumbled mix of war and peace by an author to watch. (Fiction. 14-18)

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January 1, 2018
In small-town Montana, recently returned young veteran Gabriel is the subject of (pacifist) Twyla's senior-year community service assignment. She begins assisting him with a secret project: using ammunition to build a massive mosaic symbolizing the destruction and loss of war. When Twyla enters the mosaic in a contest, it becomes a lightning rod for war-related hatred. Berkhout's YA debut is a timely, heartfelt coming-of-age story.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2017
Twyla's small hometown of Halo, Montana, is as much a character as any of the people introduced in Berkhout's poignant YA debut. Economically sustained by its proximity to two military bases and filled with young people who view military service as their most viable path to success, Halo is home to many veterans, one of whom, recently returned football hero Gabriel Finch, is the subject of Twyla's senior-year community service assignment. Gabriel's parents want Twyla to help with chores while they're away. Instead, she begins assisting him with a secret project: in the decommissioned missile silo underneath the Finch family farm, Gabriel is using ammunition to build a massive mosaic of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Uruk, a potent symbol of the destruction wrought by war and his monument to the loss and trauma he witnessed and experienced. When Twyla enters the mosaic in a MoMA contest, it becomes a lightning rod for war-related resentment, anxiety, bigotry, and hatred. The gradual romance between Twyla (a pacifist who wants more than anything to leave Halo behind) and Gabriel (a soldier haunted by his experiences who still believes that he has a responsibility to have delivered on what we promised through his service) is drawn with nuance and compassion. Readers will be pushed to consider Twyla and Gabriel's disparate views on war, their divergent life paths, and the common ground that unites them in this timely, heartfelt coming-of-age story. claire e. gross

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)