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Synopsis (From Goodreads):
Marian Caldwell is a
thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York
City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has
convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she
wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . .
only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past
that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby
appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her
very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and
memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that
has come to define her.
For the precocious and determined Kirby,
the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across
the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and
future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a
journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to
recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find
ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that
the heart remembers forever.
Review:
I borrowed this book from my dear friend, who obviously understands what I like in books. I loved Where We Belong, by Emily Giffin. With an enjoyable narrative style, strong characters, and a gripping story line, this is a compelling book.
What I Liked:
Narrative Style:
There are really two stories here, so I liked the alternating points of view between Marian and Kirby. This helped me see how each character approached the delicate situation of a meeting between a birth parent and their offspring. Both people have so much at stake. This also widened the story to all the people in the lives of Marian and Kirby. Clearly, Marian's choice so long ago had a ripple effect.
Characters:
Although Kirby has good adopted parents, she still feels like an outsider among them. Kirby is the only one in her family who shows a talent for music, which sets her apart from her family. But, part of this is her own fault, as I think she makes excuses for some of her actions by thinking, "Well, I'm adopted, so who knows what my birth parents are like". But she also picks up on subtle ways her parents also make that same assumption.
Marian is a woman with a wonderful career, a handsome boyfriend, and a bucketful of regrets. She becomes pregnant right before she is set to leave for an Ivy-league college. She can't deal with how keeping a baby would upset all her plans. But she also can't deal with how she feels about the boy who got her pregnant. If she allows herself to keep the baby, she will also be tying herself to this young man who is so different from her (and her parents) life. Is Marian selfish or selfless? It's hard to say. I think this could become a heated debate in any book club who takes this book on!
Marian's boyfriend, seems at first to be just two-dimensional. But, as the story progresses, I began to understand some of his actions. But, is her right for Marian? Or is she still pining for the boy from so long ago?
Story:
I love how the book leisurely gives up it's secrets. At first you're not sure what the circumstances are surrounding Kirby's birth and adoption. As with most things, it's complicated. And, when you think you have it all figured out, there is a twist that made me want to reconsider my feelings about Marian. For a book with pretty straightforward plot, I was on the edge of my seat!
What I Didn't Like:
via GIPHY
Rating:
Release Date: July 24th, 2012
Genre: General fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Page Length: 372 pages
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Format: Paperback book
Recommendation: A perfect book club selection, this book will lead to some deep discussions of adoption, and the life choices we make.
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Please Note: I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence the opinions in my review in any way.
Synopsis (From GoodReads):
For every woman who has
ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of
going home to make dinner, for every woman who has ever dreamed of
boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention--meet
Maribeth Klein. A harried working mother who's so busy taking care of
her husband and twins, she doesn't even realize she's had a heart
attack.
Afterward, surprised to discover that her recuperation
seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the
unthinkable: She packs a bag and leaves. But, as is so often the case,
once we get to where we're going, we see our lives from a different
perspective. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help
of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is finally able to own up to
secrets she has been keeping from those she loves and from herself.
With
big-hearted characters who stumble and trip, grow and forgive, Leave Me
is about facing our fears. Gayle Forman, a dazzling observer of human
nature, has written an irresistible novel that confronts the ambivalence
of modern motherhood head-on.
Review:
I have only read one other Gayle Forman book, If I Stay which, to be blunt, I didn't care for. Yet this book, the author's first adult novel, was wondrous. I think it's because I wasn't the target audience for If I Stay, but I could completely relate to Leave me.
The story is about a woman who is so busy taking care of her family that she doesn't realize she having a heart attack. While I have not had that particular thing happen to me, I did have breast cancer a few years ago. While I did get help with my kids from my friends, I still felt an intense pressure to pretend that everything was okay.
What I liked:
Characters:
Maribeth:
Maribeth is living the life she aspired to (sort of). She has the husband, the kids, and the career. But she also has tremendous responsibilities. It takes a lot to run a household and, despite the changing times, the majority of it still falls to Maribeth. Gayle Forman gets the details just right: the bills that need to get paid, the lessons the kids must attend, the playgroups and parent-to-parent relationships that take effort to maintain. It is a juggling act that is bound to fall apart when Maribeth becomes ill.
Jason:
At first, I found Jason to be infuriating. He is completely clueless as he expects Meribeth to hurry up and quickly resume her hectic schedule. He doesn't seem to get that she just survived a terrible ordeal. I was expecting Jason to fall into the role of the scapegoat for the book. But the author didn't go the easy route. As the story progresses, Jason's character develops where I can see why Meribeth fell in love with him in the first place. It was a delightful turn that I didn't expect.
Secondary Characters:
There are many wonderful characters in this book. The neighbors, Sunita and Todd offer a glimpse into how relatively easy young adulthood is compared with Maribeth's current life. Stephen is a doctor who has been through his own life-altering incident. There is also Janice, who is helping Maribeth look for her birth mother. Each character is well-developed and I wound up caring about each of them.
What I Was Mixed About:
Although I think that Maribeth had to leave in order to heal herself, I think this could only happen in a book. It was very convenient for her to have a small inheritance to rely on so money wasn't an issue. This, however, was a very minor annoyance for me. I think she had to get away in order to sort out her life.
This was a wonderful book, full of winning characters.
Rating:
Release Date: September 6th
Source: NetGalley
Format: ARC E-book
Recommendation: This would make a perfect book club selection, especially for women who are mothers.
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