COUNTING STARS is a collection of eighteen stories based on the authors childhood in the small mining town of Felling, located in Northern England. We are invited into the heart and mind of the author as he shares his past and dreams.  The eighteen chapters bring readers in and out of Almonds memories at various times in his childhood.  Many universal themes are presented in the book such as family, community, childhood and death.  The most prevalent feeling throughout the book is the towns faith of Catholicism. In many of the chapters the community's religious faith governs what is done in day to day living and how they cope with crisis.  Almond shows how as children we follow our faith to the letter, but as young adults we begin to doubt all things we know as true.

His stories of town outcasts are poignant and heartbreaking.  A young girl named Louisa Fine is known as an outcast because of her mental retardation.  The church believes that a pilgrimage to a holy place my help clear her mind.  When she returns from the pilgrimage, people begin to believe she has improved, but she soon returns to her old ways.  Jack Law the town wanderer and Ms. Golightly, the seamstress brings light to lifes cruelties and mishaps.  Almond mentions these community members for their impact on his life.

Family members are known to appear after death to share conversations with the living.  The death of his sister Barbara and his father greatly influenced Almond's writing.  We are shown his maternal grandfather and his twin aunts who live among them in the town.  There is a strong sense of community in this town where generations of families live only blocks away. In the chapter "My Mothers Photographs," Almond speaks of his mother and how she was a good dancer before her battle with arthritis. He states "We are photographs ourselves. Her image is upon us." How strangers stopped him on the road and saw the shape of his mothers face in his.

Throughout the chapters we are taken around the town to the graveyard, the schoolyard, fairs, the beach, and empty lots. Almond shares his many firsts with his readers.  His first kiss, first cigarette, and his first fight.  The imagery and realistic view on life shown in these chapters brings the readers into the hearts and minds of the town.  With the setting in England, we are introduced to new phrases such as "hells teeth" and to "clear off."  Words and practices of the Catholic Church are also presented to readers.  Since the eighteen chapters are truly stories of their own, each chapter has its own message.  Almond shows that the stories of Felling can and do happen in many towns throughout the world. Although the authors parents are no longer living and he no longer resides in Felling, Almond paints a picture of a close knit community that shaped who he is today. COUNTING STARS reminds me of my favorite novel by James Joyce, DUBLINERS.