Bookish Thoughts: The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez

Back then, all we wanted was the simplest things: to eat good food, to sleep at night, to smile, to laugh, to be well. ~ Opening of The Book of Unknown Americans

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez

Knopf, 2014

Fiction; 286 pgs

Source: Going Postal Mail Group

The Book of Unknown Americans is a fitting title for this poignant story of two families, young love, and the obstacles one might face trying to find a place in a new culture and society. Maribel Rivera and her parents arrive at the Redwood Apartments in Delaware with very little. They left behind a relatively prosperous life in Mexico after an accident leaves Maribel with a traumatic brain injury. Her parents want the best for her, hoping a special school in the United States will bring their old daughter back to them. Then there is Mayor Toro who wishes he was more like his brother the soccer star and college student. His family has been in the United States for fifteen years, having come over from Panama, fleeing their war torn country.

Through Arturo and Alma Rivera, Maribel’s parents, the reader gets a real sense of what it was like for them: homesickness, being strangers to the country, not speaking the language, and adapting to their environment as best they can. Arturo was able to secure a work visa, but his job in the U.S. is a definite step down for what he had been doing in Mexico. The hours are long and the conditions are quite rough. Such a simple thing as finding a store and shopping is a challenge. The author conveys the loneliness and outsider-ness the Riveras feel so well. My heart broke from them. They left behind comfort and home for such a bland and cold place . . . There is one scene in which Alma gets lost, missing her stop while on the bus, and she struggles to make it back home, knowing her daughter is getting home from school and expecting her to greet her. My heart broke for Alma. Her desperation and fear. Unable to really communicate with those around her, not really knowing where she was.

It was interesting too to examine the relationships between the characters. Child and parent. Husband and wife. Brothers and friends. There was a definite strain in Alma and Arturo’s relationship—from the accident that injured Maribel to the move to a new country. And also in Rafael and Celia Toro’s marriage. The relationship between Mayor and his father is a tense one, Rafael’s expectations of his son are a particular strain on their relationship, and Mayor feels like he must lie to his father instead of telling him the truth.

Alma and Arturo very clearly love each other and their daughter, and will do just about anything for her. They aren’t quite sure what to make of the growing friendship between Maribel and the neighbor boy Mayor, but they are open to it as they begin to see improvement in their daughter’s condition. Mayor is taken by Maribel’s beauty from the very first, although put off by her initial—seemingly--disinterest. The more he gets to know her and the more he draws her out, and the closer they become. I came to really like Mayor and rooted for him and Maribel, even as their parents weren’t sure what to make of their growing closeness. The Riveras are very protective of their daughter, which is understandable.

Although the novel is mostly told from Alma and Mayor’s viewpoint, giving the reader a glimpse into the Rivera and Toro families, Hernandez also offers brief looks into the lives of the other residents of the Redwood Apartments, all immigrants, all with their own stories of struggle, loss, and hope. There is the photographer, army veteran, a small business owner, and a line cook, to name a few. They come from various Latin American countries, including Mexico, Venezuela, Panama, Guatemala, and even Puerto Rico. I would not have minded more of a chance to get to know some of the more minor characters and see them interact with the main ones. I think they all have stories worth reading.

Overall, I found The Book of Unknown Americans to be a thoughtful and emotion-filled read. Although it seems like a big of the story is meant focus on Mayor and Maribel’s story, I was most taken with the side stories and the struggles of the parents. Their stories felt more fleshed out and real to me. This is a novel of survival, family, love, hope—and yes, heartbreak. I am grateful to my Going Postal Mail Group for the opportunity to read it.

You can learn more about Cristina Henríquez and her books on the author's website.  She can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

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© 2018, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: Lust & Wonder by Augusten Burroughs

Just when I broke my sobriety and started drinking again in moderate and controlled measure exactly like a normal person, I met this guy who wasn't just a guy but a writer, and not just a writer but the author of one of my favorite books. ~ Opening of Lust and Wonder

Lust & Wonder by Augusten Burroughs
St. Martin's Press. 2016
Nonfiction (Memoir); 304 pgs

I read Augusten Burroughs’ Running With Scissors years ago, and it made quite an impression on me. It was shocking and funny--and left me feeling terribly sad. I meant to go on and read more by Burroughs’, but I never managed to because my interest in memoirs has waned over the years. When Lust & Wonder appeared in my mailbox, the latest from my Going Postal book club, I was 1) sad because it really doesn't fit with my happy Christmas-themed bookish mood and 2) happy because I would finally be able to visit with Augusten Burroughs again.

Augusten Burroughs is the child of an alcoholic professor and a psychotic poetess who, in his later childhood, is sent to live with his mother's psychiatrist. Neglected and abused, raised with very little structure and guidance, and struggling with his own mental health issues early on in life--all of which have a profound impact on his adult life, including how he copes, sees the world around him, and in his relationships with others. Lust and Wonder does not go much into his childhood other than a mention here and there to give the new reader an idea of where he comes from. You will find that in the author's earlier books--although this one does stand well on its own.

In Lust and Wonder Burroughs opens up about his life after his memoir Dry, particularly his search for love and stability. He talks about his relationships—the failed and the successful. Burroughs seems to have a difficult time trusting his own gut when it comes to his romantic relationships, a symptom of his past and his doubts about his own mental health. There were several times throughout the book I wanted to tell him to not sell himself short.

I really like Burroughs’ conversational style. I find him relatable and insightful. He comes across as a very genuine person, which is a must in a memoir. He’s very open about his experiences as a gay man, including talking about HIV and AIDS, his grief at losing a loved one, his struggles with mental illness and the mistakes he has made over the years. He lays it all out there, warts and all. He talks honestly about his dependence and struggle with alcohol, both while lost at the bottom of a bottle of Scotch and while sober. He also writes about his anxiety, a topic I can relate all too well with. I can understand his willingness to stay in a relationship that isn’t working for the sake of security and stability and not wanting to risk the unknown by making a change--especially given his past. Sometimes it is easier to ignore and suppress what isn’t working than to confront it. But at what cost?

Augusten Burroughs takes the readers on his journey with him, through the pitfalls of his relationships as well as the successes. He made me laugh and cry; and I came away feeling as if I had just caught up with an old friend.

To learn more about Augusten Burroughs and his work, please visit the author on the author's website. 

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© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: Miss Jane by Brad Watson

You would not think someone so afflicted would or could be cheerful, not prone to melancholy or miseries. ~ Opening of Miss Jane

Miss Jane by Brad Watson
W.W. Norton & Company, 2016
Fiction (Historical); 284 pgs

Brad Watson’s Miss Jane is the story of Jane Chisolm, a woman born with a genital birth defect. The novel, based loosely on the life of a relative of the author, takes the reader deep into rural Mississippi during the early twentieth century. Jane was born on her family’s farm to a mother whose heart was heavy from the loss of her young son and a distant but hardworking father.

Jane is isolated most of her life, attending only a semester of school. She is fairly precocious, however, picking up reading and math quickly on her own. She knows she will never led the normal expected life of a woman due to her deformity, but it does not stop her from feeling or loving or even living.

Given what I had heard about the book going in, I thought it would be more cheerful than it was. That isn’t to say it’s sad, but it is a book about life. And life, as most of us know, can be pretty messy and has its ups and downs. And so it is with Jane and her family. I appreciated the author’s depiction of each of the character’s, from Jane’s somber mother, her rebellious sister, and her distant father who finds comfort more and more in his apple brandy to the more thoughtful and curious Jane. This is as much a coming of age story as it is a character study. The reader sees Jane discovering who she is, struggling to accept her differences and eventually coming into her own. She knows loneliness and isolation. She knows hope and peace. Jane has a strong advocate in Dr. Thompson who befriends the child and does what he can to guide and protect her as she grows up.

I was particularly taken with Grace, Jane’s strong willed sister who wanted only to get out and away from her family. There was a part of me who could relate to her restlessness and feeling of being trapped. When she finally does get away, she proves she can weather just about any storm—her will to survive and stand on her own two feet strong.

Jane is a strong person herself, but in a different way than Grace. While Grace is all edges, Jane is smoother. Her strength is quieter and maybe not quite so obvious. She has a gentler approach to life, her curiosity and thoughtfulness carrying her through. It was impossible not to like Jane. She reminded me a bit of Melanie from The Girl With All the Gifts in that way. I couldn’t help but cheer for Jane and want for her all that life could offer. She makes the most of what she does have, which I think is a lesson many of us should take to heart.

The setting is very much a part of the story, the rural farm and woods surrounding it as well as the small town. The reader gets a real feel for what life was like during that time period, through the good times and then as the Depression sets in.

I found Miss Jane slow going, and I was easily distracted as I read. I am not entirely sure that is the book’s fault though given my state of mind and what was going on in my life at the time I read it. Had it not been for my Going Postal book club, I probably would have set it aside to try again at a later time. It says something though that I still came away from this novel appreciating and liking it overall. 

You can learn more about Brad Watson and his books on the author's website. 

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© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes & Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris

I remember, in no particular order:

- a shiny inner wrist; 

- steam rising from a wet sink as a hot frying pan is laughingly tossed into it; 

- gouts of sperm circling a plughole, before being sluiced down the full length of a tall house; 

- a river rushing nonsensically upstream, its wave and wash lit by half a dozen chasing torchbeams; 

- another river, broad and grey, the direction of its flow disguised by a stiff wind exciting the surface; 

- bathwater long gone cold behind a locked door.   [Opening of The Sense of an Ending]

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, narrated by Richard Morant

AudioGo, 2011

Fiction; 150 pgs

Goodreads Summary: 

This intense new novel follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he has never much thought about--until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance, one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. Tony Webster thought he'd left all this behind as he built a life for himself, and by now his marriage and family and career have fallen into an amicable divorce and retirement. But he is then presented with a mysterious legacy that obliges him to reconsider a variety of things he thought he'd understood all along, and to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

The writing in The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes is beautiful. Had I been reading the book instead of listening to it, I imagine I would have highlighted passages on just about every page—or at least made note of them.

I liked the narrator quite well, his voice almost hypnotizing. Maybe that was just the accent. I love a British accent. I wasn’t so fond of the main character, although I was interested in the direction his story was going.

When I came to the end of The Sense of an Ending, I found myself wondering what had just happened. Was that really the end? It’s quite a twist, I’ll give it that. I almost want to re-listen to it to see if I missed something because it kind of feels like I did. And I find myself asking, “Is that all?” I am not really sure what I think of it when all is said and done. Did I like it? I think so? But maybe it was too academic for me.

You can learn more about Julian Barnes and his books on the author's website. 

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I was in a coffee shop looking through the want ads when I read, "Macy's Herald Square, the largest store in the world, has big opportunities for out-going, fun-loving people of all shapes and sizes who want more than just a holiday job!" ~ Opening of Holidays on Ice 

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Little Brown & Co, 1998
Fiction/Nonfiction; 176 pgs

Goodreads Summary: 

David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favorites as the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris's tales of tardy trick-or-treaters (Us and Them); the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French (Jesus Shaves); what to do when you've been locked out in a snowstorm (Let It Snow); the puzzling Christmas traditions of other nations (Six to Eight Black Men); what Halloween at the medical examiner's looks like (The Monster Mash); and a barnyard secret Santa scheme gone awry (Cow and Turkey).

The last time I attempted something by David Sedaris, I could not finish it. It was the audio version of Me Talk Pretty One Day, narrated by the author himself. I had heard such great things about Sedaris, particularly his humor. I didn't make it very far in that one. When Holidays on Ice came in the mail via my postal mail book group, I tried to keep an open mind while at the same time being a little leery. Every author deserves a second chance. Maybe I would like this one better.

I wish that had been the case. I did at least finish Holidays on Ice. Sedaris's fictional characters are not particularly likeable nor did I connect with him in his more biographical stories. I got the impression these stories are meant to poke fun at certain behaviors and practices--satire and dry humor abound. Most fell flat for me though. "Jesus Shaves," in which various Easter traditions are discussed among people from different cultures, was probably my favorite if I had to pick one. Each of the stories centers around the holiday theme--family get-togethers, mall Santa elves, neighborly competition and charity, and tradition, among them. This was a quick read for me, mostly because I was rushing through just to finish it.

You can learn more about David Sedaris and his books on the author's website. 

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© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: Etched On Me by Jenn Crowell

Have you ever wanted something so much, it's not a desire so much as a beacon? ~ Opening of Etched On Me

Etched On Me by Jenn Crowell

Washington Square Press, 2014

Fiction; 336 pgs

This probably is not a book I would have picked to read on my own. It came in the mail last month as the second Going Postal Mail Group selection for the year. Books dealing with incest and social service agencies fall in my "too close to work" category. And, admittedly, it was difficult at times to read this book without my work hat on.

At sixteen, Lesley Holloway is trying to fit in and make good grades like any other girl at Hawthorn Hill, an all-girl prep school in London. She hadn't been sure she would be able to attend after making the decision to runaway from an abusive home and seek help from the local child welfare agency. Feeling alone and abandoned by a mother that should have protected her, Lesley is surviving as best she can. In an effort to cope, she turns to cutting, a form of self-harm, that soon becomes an obsession. One day at school, she goes too far and it lands her in the hospital. From then on, Lesley is in and out of hospitals, trying to heal from past psychological wounds as well as the physical ones. It is not an easy road for her, but she proves to be quite resilient.

The novel opens with Lesley in the hospital giving birth to her own child. She had made it to the university as a stellar student, and after a one night stand became pregnant. Despite all the strides she has made to get herself together, her past comes back to haunt her. Suddenly her ability to parent is called into question. Talk about gut-wrenching.

Lesley is an amazingly strong young woman. finding the courage to runaway from home and get help. She is an example that someone in the worst of circumstances can make it out on top with perseverance and the will.

Lesley is very lucky to have a good support system to help her through even the worst of times. Her social worker and a high school teacher would do anything for Lesley. They see what a courageous and strong young woman she is. They know what she is capable of if she sets her mind to it. They never give up on her and continue advocating for her, even when Lesley considers giving up on herself. I wish every child or youth in Lesley's situation were so lucky. Many do not have that support or do not know where to look to get help. Or perhaps they are too afraid. Some do not think they are worth it.

Cutting has become more widespread in recent years, unfortunately and occurs for many reasons. It is a behavior that is often misunderstood and is hard to stop. It is a coping mechanism, however harmful it may be. I liked the way the author addressed cutting in the novel. She handles the subject matter in a very sensitive manner, but also in a very real and raw way.

It was interesting to see the differences in how the child welfare system works in England as compared to the United States. Of course, there are so many variations even here in the U.S. that it is can even be different from one county to another in the same state. I also found it interesting to read about the various treatment models Lesley was exposed to throughout her hospitalizations. The treatment and care for mental disorders is ever evolving.

Etched On Me sounds like a terribly depressing novel, and it certainly is a sad one in many respects. Author Jenn Crowell, however, has infused it with hope, and it really is an inspirational novel. I did cry. And one character in particular made me want to throw the book at him (just the thought of him now gets my blood boiling). But by the end I was smiling.

You can learn more about Jenn Crowell and her books on the author's website. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

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© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

I remember being pestered by a sense of dread as I walked to my car that day, pressed down by a wave of foreboding that swirled around my head and broke against the evening in small ripples. ~ Opening of The Life We Bury

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

Seventh Street Books, 2014

Crime Fiction; 303 pgs

Joe Talbert is getting a late start on his writing assignment for one of his college courses, and is hoping to interview someone and write a brief biography about his or her life. Walking into a nursing home, he has no idea who he might find. Hopefully someone with an interesting story. What he did not expect was to find Carl Iverson, a man convicted of the rape and murder of a teenager girl who had been paroled from prison after 30 years only because he was dying of cancer. It is not lost on Joe what a unique opportunity this will be. 

As Joe digs into Carl's past, he discovers Carl had fought in the Vietnam War and is still haunted by his time there. Joe wonders at Carl's heroism during the war and weighs it against the crime the man was convicted of committing. With the help of his neighbor, Lila, Joe uncovers more and more information that make him doubt Carl's guilt. 

Joe is forced to juggle his coursework with trouble with his own family. His mother's dysfunction as a parent has always been a problem, but is beyond the point of ignoring. Her alcoholism is out of control and her mental illness continues to go untreated. She has a new boyfriend who is bad news, and her youngest son who has Autism and is unable to care for himself is right at the center of it. Joe feels responsible for his brother, and is faced with some hard choices. 

The Life We Bury is the perfect title for this novel. Both Joe and Carl, and even Lila, have tried to bury their pasts, particularly the parts they long to forget. Each hold onto secrets that have impacted their lives and still weigh heavily on them. It was interesting to see how the relationship between Joe and Carl evolved, as well as that between Joe and Lila, over the course of the novel--how their trust in each other grew and they became closer.

Joe struggles with his decision to leave his brother with his mother to attend college. He wants to make something of his life, get out of his mother's house, and yet he also knows he is the only reliable person his brother has. He truly loves his brother and does not hesitate to step up when necessary. I really felt for him and his situation. 

I also was drawn to Lila who fought her own demons and was very wary of Joe at first. She took to Joe's brother, Jeremy, quickly, however, and I enjoyed the ease at which she and Jeremy interacted right from the start. Jeremy needs all the warriors on his side he can get. I liked him and felt the author did a good job fleshing out his character.

Allen Eskens knows how to create characters that get under your skin and draw you to them. The action really picks up in the last 100 or so pages of the novel, the suspense having been built up and Joe finding himself in dire straits. It was the kind that makes you hold your breath and not want to stop reading until you know everything will be okay. I was not surprised by the outcome. Eskens does not try to obfuscate too much--a little twist here and there. 

I enjoyed reading The Life We Bury quite a bit, although I felt there were several threads that could have been explored further for a richer reading experience. I was left feeling a bit short-shifted by the end because of that, but otherwise it is a solid read.

I could relate to Joe wanting to get out of a dysfunctional home, away from an abusive parent. I also understood the guilt he felt leaving behind his brother. In this case, a brother who is autistic and completely dependent on others. As a result, Joe can't completely move on. His brother needs him.

Carl, truly was a war hero --even in his guilt for taking a life. My dad was a Vietnam Vet and I spent years trying to get him to share and open up about his time there. I always felt a distance between us, a wall, I couldn't breach. I don't believe my dad witnessed the horrors Carl did, although I am sure he heard about them and saw the fall out after. My dad had his own nightmares and was haunted by his own demons.

This book, for me, was more about the characters and their journeys rather than the murder itself. I felt a little cheated in the end. How quickly things were wrapped up--how nicely. Threads that popped up early in the book not being more fully explored. Still, I found The Life We Bury to be an entertaining and interesting book to read. I enjoyed it over all and recommend it.

You can learn more about Allen Eskens and his books on the author's website. You can also find him on Twitter and Facebook.

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© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist

It was more comfortable than I could have imagined. ~ Opening of The Unit

The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist, translated by Marlaine Delargy

Other Press, 2009

Fiction; 268 pgs

Source: Postal Mail Group (Borrowed)

As Holmqvist describes it in her novel, The Unit, it started as a debate by a new political party that wasn't taken too seriously. Overtime, however, the idea grew, taking on new forms and growing in popularity. Soon, it became a way of life. Men over sixty and women over fifty who were single, childless, and without jobs valued by society as contributing to the greater good are now considered dispensable and forced to give their bodies up for science. Sequestered in one location, they seemingly live out their final years in comfort--their every need met. There is a beautiful garden right out of a Monet painting, walkways, and shops, restaurants, and a theater. It's an indoor heaven, of sorts. Or so they want you to believe. Their every move and word is monitored. The dispensable people's purpose now is to take part in various psychological and scientific studies--and donate organs as needed. 

Set in a Dystopian Sweden, The Unit asks the question what, if any, is the value of life? Who decides? Dorrit Weger has just turned 50, and reluctantly settles into life on the unit. As the novel progresses, she reflects on her life and what has led her to her this place. Growing up, she was taught to be self-reliant and to go after her dreams. She chose to write, and lived sparsely but comfortably with her beloved dog Jock. It was easy to identify with Dorrit and understand why she made the life choices she did. How was she to know the political winds would change so drastically over the course of her lifetime, earning her the label of a dispensable person? It is not something she agrees with, but has little choice other than to accept it.

Holmqvist does a great job of capturing the range of emotions and thoughts Dorrit goes through over the course of the novel. She is angry and sad, resigned, and scared. There are also moments of happiness and hope. We see the connections Dorrit makes with her friends who are in the same situations, and we go through the grief process as we have to say goodbye when they make their "final donations." The people who run the unit try to make the process as humane as possible, and yet, there is nothing humane about it. It's disturbing how easily accepted all of this is. And yet, is it all that surprising? I thought it was very telling when Dorrit is told she can know the person who is receiving organs, but the person receiving them is not told anything about the donor. Do this to save an important person's life! But obviously the donor isn't important enough to be recognized. It's a form of manipulation, to make it easier for those dispensables who have to give up their lives. There's something terribly wrong with that, as if the situation wasn't terrible enough as it was.

The Unit is more of a quiet book without any big plot twists or major climatic moments. However, it is very thought provoking. Dorrit's story is a compelling one that was hard to put down. I wanted so much for life to be different for the people deemed dispensable. I had never heard of this book before it arrived in the mail as one of my postal mail book group reads. I am glad it came my way.

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© 2016, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

It's Columbus Day weekend, and they lucked out with gorgeous weather, an Indian-summer day in October. ~ Opening of Love Anthony

Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

Gallery Books, 2012

Fiction; 309 pgs

Still Alice had been a difficult read for me because of how close to home it hit. My grandmother suffered from Vascular Dementia the last ten years of her life and my paternal grandfather from Alzheimer's Disease. My husband's uncle had early onset Alzheimer's, which progressed quickly. I still haven't seen the film, Still Alice, and am not sure I will. Reading the book was difficult enough (but very good!). 

Love Anthony was a difficult read for another reason. It hit on two of my hot button issues I do not like to read about: infidelity and the death of a child. This makes the second book this year from my Postal Mail Group that has dealt with difficult for me topics. The other I couldn't get past and it ruined what was likely a good book otherwise. Luckily that wasn't the case with Love Anthony.

Love Anthony follows the stories of two women, both of them mothers whose lives have taken terrible turns. For Beth, it was discovering her husband was having an affair with another woman. Her perfect world is suddenly shattered. She feels lost, unsure of who she is anymore. The man she trusted and loved and had three children with is not the man she thought he was. Then there is Olivia who recently lost her eight year old son. Anthony was diagnosed with autism at age three. He was nonverbal throughout his short life, and Olivia and her husband struggled for many years to adjust to his diagnosis. They tried every treatment, and it wore on them personally as well as on their marriage. Olivia dearly loved her son, and his loss, as would be expected, devastated her. Isolating herself in the family home in Nantucket, Olivia tries to come to terms with the loss of her child and her marriage.

A parent's worst nightmare is losing a child. My heart instantly went out to Olivia. Her grief is complicated by her feelings of regret and unanswered questions about her son's very existence. Olivia remembers her life with Anthony, the struggles she had with him, wanting to connect with him, hoping she was doing so, but unable to tell if she did. Author Lisa Genova expertly gets into the head of a woman suffering not only the loss of a child, but also of a mother raising an autistic boy. We see her pain and frustration, her heartbreak and grief. We also experience her love and joy. 

On the outside, Beth's life appears perfect. She's married with three girls and has a great group of friends. In fact, we first meet Beth's friends at their book club meeting. Her life hasn't been without its ups and downs, but things seem be going well. Or so she thought until she discovered her husband's infidelity. I felt for Beth, and I empathized with her inner conflict. She truly loves her husband, but the loss of trust in him, the betrayal she feels, is something that isn't easily overcome. If there is any sympathy I am supposed to feel towards Beth's husband, it is completely lost on me given my strong feelings about infidelity. Just the same, it isn't hard to see why their relationship unraveled. 

In her grief over her marriage, Beth finds an old story she'd written that had been hidden in the attic. She suddenly finds herself wanting to continue that story. Written from the perspective of an autistic boy, Beth's novel quickly begins to take shape. The boy at the heart of her story is eerily similar to Olivia's son, the novel story mirroring Olivia's life. I admit, I found this to be one of the weakest points in the novel--how this comes about and what happens after.

I had expected Olivia and Beth's characters to intersect sooner than they actually did. The reader gets to know each of them in alternating chapters, as well as through Olivia's journal entries from her son's childhood and Beth's novel as she writes it. It isn't until late in the novel the two women come together, but it doesn't make their story any less compelling.

Love Anthony is both heartbreaking and hopeful. It is about endings and beginnings. Most of all, it is about unconditional love. 

"Children who are deaf and can never hear or say the words I love you feel love. Children who are born with no limbs or who lose their arms and can't hug still feel love. Love is felt beyond words and touch. Love is energy. Love is God." [Love Anthony, pg 145]

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In her research, Lisa Genova had this to say in her author's note, which has really stuck with me:

After talking with parents, physicians, and therapists and reading as much as I could about autism for the past two years, here's what I've come to believe: 

The spectrum is long and wide, and we're all on it. Once you believe this, it becomes easy to see how we're all connected. [Love Anthony, pg 306]

For more information about the author, Lisa Genova, and her book visit her website.

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© 2016, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Clare: It's hard being left behind. ~ Opening of The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Mariner, 2003
Fiction; 546 pgs

Every time I start thinking of Clare and Henry I begin to get misty-eyed. Every time.  Days after reading the book.  Oh my gosh, I'm doing it again!  Okay. Let's try to make it through this review.

I have been avoiding reading this book for years. I own a copy. It's sitting on my bookshelf right now, in fact. For years friends have recommended I read The Time Traveler's Wife.  Some rather strongly. I said I would. I never did.  Until the book arrived in the mail one day via my Postal Book Club.  I was a little surprised given the page limit for books we're supposed to read is lower than the page count for this book--but it is a fast read, so maybe that was taken into consideration.  I seem to be the first person in the group who hadn't read the book, which, upon reflection, isn't a surprise.  I mean you all have read it, right? Most of you, anyway.

From Goodreads: 

A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant. An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler's Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come.

And it did. I was spellbound and captivated. I wanted to be Clare. I wanted my husband to be Henry--at least while I was reading. I felt romanced and loved and completely wrapped up in Clare and Henry's story. I felt torn up and sad and lost as I read about the struggles they faced, loving each other and yet often, nearly always apart. (There I go, getting teary again. Darn it.)

The first time Clare meets Henry, she is six.  The first time Henry meets Clare, he is 28. Both at completely different points in time.  That sort of thing would complicate life, don't you think? It was interesting to see how their lives intersected, how Henry saw Clare grow up, him knowing he would eventually marry her; and then years later see an adult Clare meeting a version of Henry that hadn't encountered her yet as a child. I worried at first I would have trouble following the narrative, given the jumps in time and their unusual chronologically-challenged romance. The author made it easier by documenting the dates and ages of the characters over the course of the book which helped immensely. That, in part, made it easier to follow--that and such a compelling novel whose characters I grew to love.

Neither Clare nor Henry are perfect, not really. Okay, so maybe a little close to perfect, but not quite. Henry, especially in his young adulthood (before Clare), was a bit of a rogue. He went through drugs, alcohol and women like they were a bag of potato chips. Clare, especially in her childhood, at times seemed precocious. They did not always agree and there were definitely tense moments throughout their marriage, especially when they were trying to have a child. My heart ached for them.  I cannot even imagine what it would be like to be Henry, not being able to change the past, life just happening to you, really. No free will.  I change my mind. I am glad I am not Clare and that I am not married to Henry.

As much as I enjoyed reading this book and being caught up in the experience of being a part of Clare and Henry's world for a short time, I, at times, wished the author had taken the characters deeper, taken certain threads a little farther than she did. Yet there were times when she did, when she caught so perfectly the feeling of grief, the varying nuances of being both happy and sad to be alone, and the pure joy of being in love.

When I finished the book, I felt for sure I was missing something. I wanted more. I wish I could say it was just that wonderful sense of wanting more because you don't want a book to end. While it is true I didn't want Henry and Clare's story to end, I also felt a little let down. I thought the very end was perfect. It's what happens--or doesn't--right before that that left me wanting. Is that too much of a spoiler? Probably. Which is why I won't say more. Other than to say, I have questions!

At it's heart, The Time Traveler's Wife is a love story. It is about their courtship and eventual marriage. And it is about their life together, about the hardships they faced in living such an unpredictable life and yet trying to have a normal life just the same. My emotions as I read were all over the place. There was heartache. Lots of heartache. And yet, this is such a beautiful story of two people so utterly in love with each other. It's hard not to feel the joy in that.

To learn more about author Audrey Niffenegger and her work, please visit the author's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads. 

Source: Many thanks to Tanya of GirlXOXO for sharing this book with me through our postal bookclub! 

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