Defiance by Valerie Hobbs

I just picked up Defiance by Valerie Hobbs. It is a very quick read at only 117 pages, but it packs a lot into those pages. A young man named Toby who just discovered during his vacation that his cancer has returned is hiding it from his parents. He found an old bike that he is riding around the rural roads and sees a cow that is really skinny. Angry at the cow's condition he follows a dirt road to a decrepit house and meets Pearl, an old lady that is living there. Toby and Pearl develop a relationship that revolves around poetry, tea and Toby learning how to milk Blossom the cow. Although Toby is determined not to return to his cancer treatments, he learns a lot from Pearl about life. When to give up and when to fight. A great read. This book gave me goosebumps. 5 stars.