The Country of Ice Cream Star/Sandra Newman/629 pages

Ice Cream Star is a young woman living somewhat innocently in a dystopian America when her older brother's epidemic illness thrusts her into the leadership role for her small band of children. What follows is a wrenching struggle for survival for herself and her people as she attempts to find a cure to her brother's disease.

Analysis - An impressive exercise in creativity, this book involved peoples from various cultural groups and is told by the narrator in a pidgin English that becomes almost comfortable by the end of the book. 

Originality is the strong suit of this novel. But that originality also makes it hard to classify. While it is dystopian, it is firmly anchored in a very real America. While some aspects of the storyline seem science fiction-ish, the content is not hard-line science fiction. Its epic length and unusual language may make this book a challenge for some. But it is worth a read. The depictions of familiar places that have been shambled by the rigors of war and disease and the emotions wrought by its main character make it a worthy read.