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What I particularly liked was how Gayle didn’t choose to make the narrative fluffy. There were so many opportunities for him to make it a story with a happy ending, but he chose to keep it real and I appreciate it so much. It took me a while to warm up to Kerry and Noah and the rest of the crew, but once I did it felt like they were part of my own family. Personally I think it’s a skill to be able to write a cast of characters that become so dear to the reader. He has a wonderful way of lifting the reader up while tugging at our heart strings at the same time. A lovely story about what family really means... -- Fionnuala Kearney The U.S. debut of an incredible new illustrator introduces two everyday friends whose closeness endures no matter how far apart they are.
Because electricity is magic,” he’d answered. That same psychiatrist was the first of many to say that Jaden couldn’t attach properly to Steve and Penni because of being betrayed by the one caretaker he’d ever had—his mother. From age four to eight, he’d had to fend for himself in group homes. Trigger warnings: May contain spoilers. Select from here cancer, death, adoption to here to see list of trigger warnings. This is the story of Kerry and Noah, two siblings separated when they were taken from their mother in early childhood. Highly recommend for anyone who can 1) cope with the trigger warnings and 2) enjoy beautiful writing, character driven stories and a plot focusing around adoption and finding family.
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At its heart, this book is primarily about family and what it means to be a family. I didn’t give it five stars because it ended up being a bit too ‘sweet’ for me, but if you like touching, heartfelt stories then you’ll love this.
Jaden sat on the floor, holding on to a half loaf of unsliced bread. He switched his lamp on and off, the bedroom lighting up and darkening over and over. Electricity had always relaxed him. For sure it was the most amazing thing about America. He bit off the biggest chunk of bread that could fit in his mouth. It was sourdough, which he liked because it was so chewy. One pinballs from placement to placement before finally growing up in a care home. A rough start in life, a need to fend for herself and eventually, a determination to ‘make good’. Kerry lives a humble but happy life as the single mother of her son, Kian, in a west London council estate, working hard as a cleaner. There's nothing really new or original in this book, but it's so... gloriously heartwarming. It was almost as if this was my first time reading a my-best-friend-moved-away story (I said "almost" because one of my books is, among other things, about that). When they get to Kazakhstan, it turns out the infant they’ve traveled for has already been adopted, and literally within minutes are faced with having to choose from six other babies. While his parents agonize, Jaden is more interested in the toddlers. One, a little guy named Dimash, spies Jaden and barrels over to him every time he sees him. Jaden finds himself increasingly intrigued by and worried about Dimash. Already three years old and barely able to speak, Dimash will soon age out of the orphanage, and then his life will be as hopeless as Jaden feels now. For the first time in his life, Jaden actually feels something that isn’t pure blinding fury, and there’s no way to control it, or its power.The characters were drawn well, especially the differences between Noah and Kerry. Broadly, the story was pulled together well - especially in the second half of the book. Very realistic in places - might have been half the problem for me! Meanwhile over in an affluent part of London, Noah is a successful barrister with a wife and daughter he adores. Knowing he was adopted, he has always accepted this with no desire to look into where he came from and trace his birth mother. His refusal to accept his past is causing marital problems and when he receives a letter from someone claiming to be his sister his life is turned upside down. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of Half A World Away in return for an honest review.
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