A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel

 

Haven Kimmel grew up in Mooreland, Indiana, a small rural town of three hundred inhabitants and four churches. It was a poor town and no one had much money.  Everyone knew everyone and they knew their families and backgrounds.  There weren't a lot of secrets in Mooreland.

Haven's nickname was Zippy and that's what everyone called her.  She was a spunky girl, not always kind but the view into how she innocently saw her world is priceless.  There were older siblings to contend with and look up to, parents who loved her, friends who might be a friend today and someone else's friend tomorrow and pets.  Zippy might not have been worldly but she wasn't a perfect child either.  She reports that none of her teachers liked her and she spent her time in school making their lives difficult.  She was sometimes cruel to her friends but usually loyal, much as other children are.  Zippy didn't believe in the whole Jesus legend, but she was in church every Sunday and other times throughout the week as her mother was very religious. 

Her family was normal as seen through Zippy's eyes.  Her mother spent her time not in church laying on the couch reading books.  She probably suffered from clinical depression.  Her father was gone for hours every day but always seemed to know what Zippy was doing and when she might need him.  He was the largest presence in her life even though he refused to enter the church at all so was considered strange by others in the town.  Her big brother was quiet and smart although he refused to read until well into his high school years.  Her big sister was also so much older than she was definitely a separate presence to Zippy.  

This is one of the most charming books I've read in years.  The reader cannot help but fall in love with Zippy even while thanking the gods that they didn't have to raise her.  I'm not a reader who laughs out loud at books, but found myself doing exactly that multiple times in this story.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and those interested in small town rural life.