If We Were Giants by Dave Matthews

My name is Kirra, and I know I made a horrible mistake four years ago. I have foggy visions of a volcano and something large moving through the trees, but my mind won't allow me to remember. I now live with the Tree Folk, but I'm still vaguely aware something tragic happened back then. It's terrifying when I feel the Memory Trap starting to creep into my head. I can't let it. The families here in the trees live apart and are reluctant to share with each other. The strangeness of it reminds me that I'm an Outsider. My "brother" is adventurous but has been forbidden from crossing the river. I'm not sure that will stop him but the rumors might. Giant hunters have been sighted on our side of the river. The Memory Trap reminds me they should be feared.

The plot shared Kirra's ongoing conflict with the Takers, sometimes physical and sometimes mental. A commonality between her two communities was they both strove to live in isolation. Her first family secretly lived atop a dormant volcano, and her second family lived hidden among the trees. In contrast, one culture was seeded with cooperation, while the other valued independence. As hinted above, much of the story focused on Kirra dealing with the loss of her parents and brother. Her mind was in denial and did all it could to avoid the pain of remembering until Kirra was finally forced to deal with it. She also felt tremendous guilt and was afraid to let anyone know. Her own sense of adventure was erased following her tragic past. The emotions behind the story were what enhanced the conflict and made it more engaging. Ironically, or perhaps not, Kirra was being trained to become the village Storyteller when the book began. She was aware of the importance of eliciting emotions in order to truly entertain her audience. Overall, I enjoyed the book and recommend you give it a shot. I'm not sure what's in the works, but the door was left open for a sequel.