There's a lot to admire about Sanders' writing, but I can't help being a bit underwhelmed by the book itself here. As slice-of-life fiction goes, the scenes are wonderfully written, and the characters brought to life on every page without fail. At the same time, while the ten-year-old Clover makes for an entertaining protagonist and narrator at many points, she's also one of the problems with the work as a whole, as there are so often moments when her thoughts/words so clearly feel like the author's own thoughts/words stepping in to shape the story vs those that would come from a child. Similarly, there's such focus on the girl's summer and memories, and on making her the strong young protagonist she's meant to be, there's a certain lack of emotion which makes the book somewhat one-note even when it's tackling it's most serious territory.
So, I suppose in the end I have mixed feelings. I admire the author's writing, but the story as a whole feels like it's somewhat lackluster, more built of short stories pulled together into a novel than a fully developed story that's got all it needs to be. I feel like I'd love to read a short story collection from the author, but I'm not sure I'd pick up another novel from her.