Synopsis: Leonora is a good girl from a good family; she's cautious, studious, and obedient. Her family had supplied a code word that any stranger must know before she follows him. Nevertheless, she agrees to help the wrong stranger, and soon her picture is appearing on posters with the word missing. As Leonora's story unfolds slowly but straightforwardly in intermittent chapters, a larger cast of characters is introduced, with the action occurring over decades.
Children grow up, and adults flash back to their childhoods. An orphan marries early, hoping to reestablish himself in a nuclear family. A 16-year-old runs away from his mother's abusive new husband. Parents protect their own children while exploiting others, and the relationships among all these characters are slowly revealed.
Type: Fiction
Quick Take: I didn't enjoy this book as much as Ti (Book Chatter) or Nomad Reader, they both list this one as a 2011 favorite book. I'm surprised that I didn't like it more than I did since I enjoy family drama, plots that could happen, and books filled with drama.
There are a lot of characters, I wrote them down on a piece of paper so I could remember who was connected to whom. Around page 130 the story comes together when characters crossover from one storyline to another.
Looking back, I struggled with the parent/child relationships throughout the novel (the ability to parent, show compassion, poor decision making). The writing was wonderful and the story was original.
Based on Nomad Reader's review, if you enjoyed One Day you will probably like this book. I didn't like One Day at all but see similarities with these novels. This makes sense.
Have you read this book?
Rating: 3/5 stars
Source: Personal Copy