Amy Hatvany - Somewhere Out There

What happens when two sisters who were torn apart when their young mother abandoned them—and grew up in tragically different circumstances—reunite thirty-five years later to find her? For readers who love Jodi Picoult, acclaimed author Amy Hatvany fearlessly explores complex family issues in her gripping, provocative new novel.
Natalie Clark knew never to ask her sensitive adoptive mother questions about her past. She doesn’t even know her birth mother’s name—only that the young woman signed parental rights over to the state when Natalie was a baby. Now Natalie’s own daughter must complete a family tree project for school, and Natalie is determined to unearth the truth about her roots.
Brooke Walker doesn’t have a family. At least, that’s what she tells herself after being separated from her mother and her little sister at age four. Having grown up in a state facility and countless foster homes, Brooke survives the only way she knows how, by relying on herself. So when she discovers she’s pregnant, Brooke faces a heart-wrenching decision: give up her baby or raise the child completely on her own. Scared and confused, she feels lost until a surprise encounter gives her hope for the future.
How do our early experiences—the subtle and the traumatic—define us as adults? How do we build relationships when we’ve been deprived of real connection? Critically acclaimed author Amy Hatvany considers controversial and complicated questions about childhood through the lens of her finely crafted characters in this astute novel about mending wounds by diving into the truth of what first tore us apart.

Comment: This is the third book by this author I read so I knew her style when I opened the book. Still, I wanted to be surprised and I think the story did deliver on being compelling to read.

In this novel, we follow three main characters through their lives and the way they see themselves, especially in sight of an event that set the course for them all. Thirty-five years ago, Jennifer was a young woman who had no one to help her and when she was sentenced to go to prison, she gave up her custody rights of her two young daughters, 4 year old Brooke and months old Natalie. Jennifer knew she couldn't provide for the girls but it was still with a heavy heart she let them go, grabbing into the idea they would remain together despite her not being there anymore.

However, this is not what happens, and Natalie is adopted right away but Brooke has a hard time accepting her mother won't come back. Throughout the novel, the three characters tell their side of things and we get to see how what happened shaped their lives and their choices. Could the three of them be reunited again and if so, can they create bonds that many people take for granted?

This was a very easy book to read. The story was told in an sufficiently enough emotional manner that didn't go into exaggerated scenes and the "voice" of each main character made them feel very human, very realistic and approachable, despite the less positive situations, for the reader to care about what was happening to them all. There are three main characters, mother Jennifer, whose voice we have in first person, and each daughter, whom we follow in third person.

It was quite interesting the way the author made this distinction. Jennifer is someone who had a lot of bad luck, added to some bad choices due to her immaturity. Sure, all teenagers are regarding some aspect of their lives and not all end up pregnant so young, so I can see why this has influenced Jennifer's life from then on. I was quite sympathetic to her, though. Her personality, her way of thinking, everything about her, including the mistakes we see her doing, made me feel both sorry for her and sympathy over the fact she was powerless to just change things. Of course first person works here because her perspective is unique and we can create a lot of empathy with her over what she describes but also, because she, simply put, an interestingly flawed person to know. I was eager to keep having her POV because I wanted to see how she was coping.

Her daughters we follow differently. We see what they think and feel but with 3rd person narrator. I suppose this worked out to keep us in doubt about some of their moves throughout the plot but it was very easy to go from each one of their "voices".

Brooke is the oldest and never conformed with the system. She was old enough to remember her mother and wanting to go back to her. Natalie was a baby so her personality wasn't developed yet and by being adopted, she had a completely different life, even if her parents told her the truth. She is, obviously, the one with the more stable life. The fascinating part is to see how they interact with others because of their upbringing, especially because it was so different. It's not a surprise they have to encounter each other but how could this go, how could this change anything about their lives? Had they been raised together, would their personalities be any different?

I liked the way this plot was developed and I must say I'm glad things never went into drama levels. I mean, there are hard things to deal with, there are dramatic situations we read about and that the characters face but the author never inserted melodrama just to create shock. Still, I wasn't sure this would be so until the end so I did dread if something really bad would happen. There's this sense of tension in a big part of the book but for those who avoid complicated dramas, nothing here was over the top or ridiculous.

I did like how the relationships between the several characters were portrayed. I think it's inevitable that some things do seem a little too easy or too "nice" but overall I got a rather realistic vibe. I liked how all of them had an idea on how things happened and how terrible it must have been to imagine the idea all had was not the reality, namely how Jennifer assumed her daughters would have been together. I suppose there was also some influence on her when she made her decision but, again, what choice was there? There is quite a lot in this novel to let us think about about real issues...

I was having a great time reading this, despite the sense the pages were getting fewer and there seemed to be some situations unsolved yet... in fact, the end was a little open-ended. I understand throughout the book what mattered the most had been addressed but I admit I would have preferred a bit more closure on one or two details...OK, maybe that wasn't the author's intention, but it would have been good to see on the page how some things developed after the way we see the story ending.

All things considered, this was a solid read, entertaining, thought provoking. It worked well for me.

Grade: 8/10

Amy Hatvany - The Language of Sisters

Ten years ago, Nicole Hunter left her troubled home behind her, unable to cope with the demands of a life with her disabled sister, Jenny. Though her search for happiness—both in career and in love—has fallen short of her dreams, Nicole pretends that all is well. Then a shattering event turns her world upside down, and suddenly, she is back in her hometown, caring for her pregnant sister and trying to heal her embattled relationship with her mother.
Reunited with her family and forced to confront the guilt that haunts her, Nicole finally has the chance to be the sister she always wished she’d been. And when she is faced with the most difficult choice of her life, Nicole rediscovers the beauty of sisterhood—and receives a special gift that will change her life forever.

Comment: This is the second book by this author I read. I liked the experience of reading the other one by her I have and when I saw this one on sale in one of the book fairs I usually attend annually, I didn't think twice.

In this book we have the story of two sisters, one of them, Nicole, left home to be far from the problems in her house but she has always felt stuck to something in her past.

The other sister is Jenny and she has a disease that robbed her of her motor and mental skills which made her mother decide to put her in an institute that caters to women with similar conditions.

The story begins when Nicole, geographically and mentally far away, receives a phone call telling her her sister had been raped at the institute and she is now pregnant. Nicole then leaves her life as a baker - she had also given up on her psychologist profession - to head back home and deal with the situation, since their mother is tired and wants to keep Jenny the the same institute and their father is out of the picture.

Going back home, Nicole is ready to do what is necessary to help Jenny, even it that means take care of her sister on her own. Will Nicole be ready for what that entails?

I thought this book would focus on the way Nicole would deal with taking care of her sister Jenny and how that situation would affect her perspective on how people like Jenny - not perfect in the eyes of society - are usually treated. Although we do have this notion discussed somehow, the biggest part of the novel's purpose was to showcase Nicole's feelings, position in life, psychological status, her journey through guilt and duty rather than how Jenny was doing with what happened to her and what Nicole did to help Jenny.

This means that, seen with a certain perspective, Nicole does come across as being inflexible, too hard on herself and others and slightly irritating. I don't think this bothered me much because I've worked with someone who had lost skills, although not with the same disease fictional Jenny has. I know it can be difficult and frustrating and sometimes it's hard to "disconnect" from that to just be ourselves in a new context.

Still, this doesn't excuse the fact Nicole acts as if she's the one who knows best, who will be the key to "transform" Jenny. Not to cure her, obviously, but to be the person with whom Jenny will relax with and would feel happy to be near.

Being like this also affects her relationship with others, namely with her mother, from whom Nicole has always held something that still haunts her.

Portuguese edition

It was good to see how Nicole improved throughout the novel, how she started to talk about and deal with some of the things she feels guilty of, including leaving her family to pursue stability. But Nicole is one of those people who can't forget and I liked how we got to see the steps she took to change and find inner peace while being closer to her sister.

I'd say the problem is that, despite how natural or expectant this situation might have been, the way it happened seemed to follow a very linear pattern: first deal with this, then that, then the other so things were being dealt with but it was sort of forced in the reader's face how the process happened. I wish it had been made to look more spontaneous on Nicole's part.

There are some social and technical issues mentioned related to how caring facilities/institutions operate in regards to people with deficiencies like Jenny's. That should grab anyone's attention and the author has done a good job in giving readers a perspective but inserted in the fictional tale, it felt like a task to be done, rather than a real necessity of the novel. After ll, the focus is on Nicole and not really on Jenny and her problems.

Another interesting element was how Nicole re-discovered a previous friendship and how much help that was to her, especially when things got difficult. There is also a romance to let the reader wonder what will happen to Nicole and her choices and although part of me liked this element, it could have been done a little better too. 

Still, the book ends on a positive note and I think the psychological journey Nicole went through helped her a lot, not only in reconnecting with her sister and mother, but in how she has always felt about her father and her other relationships.

This was an easy book to go through, simple accessible writing, interesting theme and development but yes, the main character could have been a little more approachable at times.

I'll keep on reading this author's work...

Grade: 7/10

Amy Hatvany - Outside the Lines

When Eden was ten years old she found her father, David, bleeding out on the bathroom floor. The suicide attempt led to her parents’ divorce, and David all but vanished from Eden’s life. Since childhood, she has heard from him only rarely, just enough to know he’s been living on the streets and struggling with mental illness. But lately, there has been no word at all.
Now in her thirties, Eden decides to go look for her father, so she can forgive him at last, and finally move forward. When her search uncovers other painful truths—not only the secrets her mother has kept from her, but also the agonizing question of whether David, after all these years, even wants to be found—Eden is forced to decide just how far she’ll go in the name of love.

Comment: Months ago I saw some comments about this book in a reading forum I usually participate in. Readers were saying positive things about this story which made me curious about it. Now that I've finished reading, I feel glad I tried this new author...

This is Eden's story and the tale of her search for a beloved father with whom she lost contact when she was a child. Her father has a mental illness that makes him unstable and not always concern about the harm he is causing, despite his acknowledgment of it. Eventually her parents got a divorce and Eden thought about not caring anymore but her mother's cancer fight reminded her of the short live we have and she wants to reconnect. But does her father want to be found?

I'm surprised this book was as interesting as I ended up thinking because it has one thing that usually annoys me a bit, which is the constant change between the present time, when the action takes place, and the past, where we can see the relationship of father and child and how things got to the point where they lost contact. Also not my favorite thing was the 1st person narrator, but I liked Eden for the most part, so it wasn't difficult to follow her thoughts.

This story is quite interesting for the theme. It's not easy to find a romance with strong different elements like a character that fights metal illness. Although this is not the main focus exactly, it is enough to give us an idea of how difficult it is to live it and to understand it. Of course it's always interesting to see how Eden's personality and emotions are shaped by all this. The past sections were important only because it showed us how Eden grew up from a dreamy girl to someone more cautious and cynical.I could with just knowing about this and not really seeing it but it adds emotion and explains certain attitudes.

Another interesting thing mentioned and focused on here was what it means to work in a shelter or house that helps homeless people or those in need, this was a very good add to the story, even if it didn't have to be part of setting.

Eden is a good heroine for the most part but I admit there was part of her that seemed too detached when it came to how we read about her. She did act emotional quite often but I wasn't always as touched by her experience as I assume I could.

Obviously, being a romance reader first, one of the best elements here was the romance, it developed at a good pace and had a good conclusion but yes, I guess it could have been a bit more romantic in general.

The end was weird, meaning it wasn't as easy to go through as it could. In my opinion, it wasn't a bad ending but little details weren't totally explained or dealt with, like Eden and her father didn't really talk, Eden's brother seemed to have a love interest that we don't know how ended...it's little things that don't change the overall feel and path of the story but were there anyway...

All things considered, this was a good story, interesting, the author's voice was easy to follow, the writing fluid but yes, some things weren't as structured as they could. I don't if I want to read more by this author but maybe in the future...this was is worth a try, I guess.

Grade: 7/10