Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

ISBN-13: 9781416990659
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Published: May 2010
343 pgs
Source: Library




I'm sure many of you have came across such a book that will move and warm your heart and that wonderful moment still live even it has been days after you have finished reading it. Morgan Matson's Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is such a case for me.

Amy Curry's life is never the same again ever since her twin brother Charlie has gone off to North Carolina for a rehab program but the worst hit was her father's death due to a car accident. She has been living in California all the while until her mother moves to Connecticut for a teaching position, leaving her alone to finish off her junior year of high school and then she'd start her senior year in Connecticut later. It'd be easy if things are being left off that way but one day her mother decided that she wants Amy to drive cross-country style to Connecticut and has made arrangement with a family friend's son to travel with her.

Amy has no recollection of Roger Sullivan despite her mother's assurance that they knew each other when they were younger, but she went along with her mother's idea if that makes her happy. They shouldn't have any problems or worries since her mother has pre-planned the itinerary and have made hotels arrangements for them, but they decided to make a detour to Yosemite and they think it'd be an experience to visit the National Park. However, it doesn't just end there. Eventually they decided not to follow her mother's pre-planned itinerary and made more detours to Colorado, Kansas, Graceland and Kentucky until her mother is furious about her and cuts off the access to her credit card, leaving both of them on a tight budget and all. But that doesn't seem to worry Amy and Roger as they have never feel so happy and at ease in their life. It is also at this moment that they start to get to know each other more, and though Amy starts to develop feelings for him she isn't sure if he feels the same since she thinks he still misses his ex-girlfriend.

There are several things I loved about Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. For starters, this book is about road trips and exploration. I love travelling, but has never been on a road trip before (at least not without a tour guide together with a pre-planned tour or a free-and-easy package with coach service included) so you can say this book is quite an eye-opener to me. I felt I was riding along with Amy and Roger, and I felt the pain whenever Amy thought of her father and the cause of the accident. What touched me most was the support Amy and Roger gave to each other despite the emotional baggage they are carrying.

As the story progress, readers also get to know more about the relationship between Amy and her family (especially her father) through a few flashback chapters, thus allowing us to understand her feelings towards the accident. What I find unique is the author also included a few pictures (and not to mention some diners, marts and motels receipts) using a travel scrapbook style as indications of their stopovers, plus some sketches and playlists to highlight their emotions during the journey. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is one of the most memorable and feel-good books I read lately and because I loved this book so much, I bought a copy so as to ensure I can re-read it whenever the mood strikes.