Don’t let the cover fool you on this one — while the designers would have you believe Joe Lansdale’s All the Earth, Thrown to the Sky is a contemporary rural novel, it’s not. It’s a historical novel, set during the depths of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. This is Lansdale’s first young adult novel, though he has published a host of titles for the adult audience, and that writing experience shines through.

Jack Catcher’s mom dies from an illness (most likely something respiratory-related) when the story starts, and within seconds, we’re also introduced to Jack’s father, who has taken his own life. His father didn’t want to live without his mother, and left a note proclaiming his love for Jack but his inability to carry on. Immediately after meeting Jack’s two dead parents, we’re also tossed into a raging dust storm. Lansdale gives us no breathing room, much like he gives none to Jack. Now all Jack wants to do is get out of town as quick as possible. He has no reason to be here in the middle of Oklahoma anymore.

When the storm passes, Jack’s confronted with a former classmate, Jane, and her little brother Tony, and he learns that they, too, have recently lost their parents. They also want to get out of dodge as fast as they can, but unlike Jack, they have a plan. One of their neighbors, an old man, has also just died (do you sense a theme here?) and Jane knows that he’s got a car. She also somehow had a hunch that Jack might know how to drive, and if they teamed up, they could borrow the car and finally be free. Jack, desperate, agrees to this, and the three are soon in a moving vehicle, leaving the dust-covered plains of Oklahoma behind them.

While Jack suggests going to California, where so many others have found their fortune and new lives, Jane has other plans. She suggests going southeast to Tyler, Texas, where she and Tony have relatives. Going there would ensure a place for them to stay and would get them far enough from where they are.

Except, as Jack and we as reader will learn, what Jane says might not always be the truth.

All the Earth, Thrown to the Sky is a book that is not only realistic in terms of depicting the harsh world of the Great Depression and the heavy, brutal air of the Dust Bowl, but it depicts realistically the relationships that develop among those who are desperate. What stood out to me immediately was the utter drive to live that Jack has — while Jane and Tony also portray this, it’s Jack’s voice the story is told through, and it’s with his story I felt this drive. The weakness Jack’s father showed in the face of losing his wife stands to be the thing that keeps Jack fighting forward; he doesn’t want to be weak and he doesn’t want to give up. He knows that through his own strength he can change his life and do so for the better. He knows it won’t be easy, but he’s willing to give it a chance.

I hesitate to call this a road trip book, but it is a story that’s set on the road. There’s movement as Jack, Jane, and Tony go from their roots in Oklahoma toward their ultimate goal in Tyler. But it’s not an easy road. Along the way, they run into some of the most notorious outlaws of the time, and they’re not willing to go easy on these kids. As if the death of parental units wasn’t enough, these characters will witness even more death. One murder will happen right in front of them, and it’s something with which they just deal. And that’s something I think is what makes this book so strong — the fact that life sucks but these characters soldier on. They certainly process this loss on their own terms, but they know in order to live their own lives, they have to keep moving forward. In addition to their run-ins with outlaws, Jack, Jane, and Tony met people who had less-than-good intentions for them; but, given that they’re strong willed and determined, those will become just parts of their adventure. Their travel experience is a series of adventures and trials that they need to pass.

Jane was, hands down, one of my favorite characters in a long time. She’s tricky. When we meet her in the novel, everything she tells Jack feels authentic. But the further the story moves and the more opportunities she has to interact with other characters and situations, both Jack and the reader begin seeing that Jane might be selling a lot of lies. And they’re not even white lies. They’re full out circus tales — a more-than-apt description that those who read the book will appreciate. She’s tough as nails and she goes after exactly what she wants. For a teen girl during this era, it’s not the norm. She’s bucking that though, and I applaud Lansdale for making her such a great and memorable character.

The pacing in this story is spot on, though the ending is a bit too tidy and a bit too easily-explained for some of the exploits that occur in the second half of the novel. Jane herself calls this a bit of an Odyssey that they take off on, and that is perhaps one of the best ways to describe the tale. Fans of that novel or those looking for a take on that storyline will appreciate this. For me, though, I wanted just a little bit more of that up front. It made the ending weaker because I wasn’t prepared for some of the side adventures that would occur. Jane comes out as a bigger escape artist than I suspected, and she is such in a manner that leaves her companions hanging. It went astray from the character I’d expected, though I suspect for Jack, it made sense. On the whole, though, the writing in this story is tight and tidy, and I think Lansdale, despite this being his first young adult novel, nails the teen voices.

Pass this book off to fans of historical fiction, especially stories set in rural America. I think those who love books like Kirby Larson’s Hattie Big Sky will appreciate this one, as will those who appreciate honest tales of survival situated in real-life events. Fans of great female characters will love Jane, even if they disagree with some of her methods of getting herself ahead of the game.

Review copy received from the publisher.