The Forgotten Sister By Caroline Bond
Why?
In my quest to understand what the different contributors to a novel and the journey required to publishing, I attended a talk by Caroline Bond at the Pudsey Wellbeing Centre where she discussed where her ideas come from and the process of becoming a successful published author. The proceeds of this were split between the Wellbeing Centre and The Leeds Weekend Care Association. Caroline was engaging and entertaining and I came away with a copy of The Forgotten Sister (it's signed and never leaving my possession).
What?
Otherwise known as amazon spiel:
To lose your family is heart-breaking.
To be forgotten by them is unforgivable.
To be forgotten by them is unforgivable.
Cassie and Erin are sisters. They are close - in age, looks and personality - but there is one crucial difference: Cassie is adopted.
At seventeen, Cassie sets out to find her birth mother. She is hungry for the truth, but she discovers her adoption was far more complicated than even she could have imagined. In uncovering her past identity Cassie learns her adoptive parents have kept a terrible secret from her her whole life, which now threatens to destroy everything she has ever held dear.
A heart-rending, profoundly moving novel about protecting the ones you love from the secrets that will hurt them most, perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult and Jojo Moyes.
(Spoiler alert!!!!)
Cassie and Erin are sisters. Cassie is adopted. She's a teenager who wants to understand where she comes from. It's a predictable tale? No it's not.
This is a story about identity and protection; these themes thread through all of the characters. I was expecting the age old nature vs nurture debate but instead I found a true reflection of modern, fragmented and yet, we hope, stronger family units that go beyond our shared heritage and bonded history.
I liked Cassie: she is a believable character and I was keen to walk along her pathway and experience her conflicting loyalties and emotions. All of the other characters had the same authenticity and were necessary components: all interactions were of value to the evolving, sometimes splintered, relationships. I can't tell you if I really liked them though. Do I need to? Not really, this is life. Leah was not someone in a situation to be fixed by a biological family reunion. She is a product of an unforgiving care system unable to cope with the loss of the only person she knew how to love.
It took me two weeks to write this review. This has never happened before. The synopsis states that the book is about adoption but it is so much more than that. "The Forgotten Sister" takes us to closely examine our construct of family; our beliefs about the role and rights of the parent and what it can, should or would be. This lead me to an emotional place. Many of us think that there is simplicity in becoming a parent and so many of us discover it as the great untruth. The right that we believe is ours is so often out of our physical and emotional reach. I cried whilst reading this for the struggles of the characters but also for my own lost babies that I never got to hold. This book has the potential to evoke and explore emotions that have been locked away in storage. But this isn't bad, it is healthy. I do not think this is the story of loss and of vicious circles, I think this is a story of hope. Yes, it reminded me of challenges, but it left me with gratitude of what we can have and what we can achieve together.
It's ok - you can go and vomit now. Apologies for my unusual outpouring of emotion but this is a good book and should be read.
Cassie and Erin are sisters. Cassie is adopted. She's a teenager who wants to understand where she comes from. It's a predictable tale? No it's not.
A new mother is a vulnerable thing, full-hearted, thin-skinned, best watched over, for fear of damage.
This is a story about identity and protection; these themes thread through all of the characters. I was expecting the age old nature vs nurture debate but instead I found a true reflection of modern, fragmented and yet, we hope, stronger family units that go beyond our shared heritage and bonded history.
I liked Cassie: she is a believable character and I was keen to walk along her pathway and experience her conflicting loyalties and emotions. All of the other characters had the same authenticity and were necessary components: all interactions were of value to the evolving, sometimes splintered, relationships. I can't tell you if I really liked them though. Do I need to? Not really, this is life. Leah was not someone in a situation to be fixed by a biological family reunion. She is a product of an unforgiving care system unable to cope with the loss of the only person she knew how to love.
It took me two weeks to write this review. This has never happened before. The synopsis states that the book is about adoption but it is so much more than that. "The Forgotten Sister" takes us to closely examine our construct of family; our beliefs about the role and rights of the parent and what it can, should or would be. This lead me to an emotional place. Many of us think that there is simplicity in becoming a parent and so many of us discover it as the great untruth. The right that we believe is ours is so often out of our physical and emotional reach. I cried whilst reading this for the struggles of the characters but also for my own lost babies that I never got to hold. This book has the potential to evoke and explore emotions that have been locked away in storage. But this isn't bad, it is healthy. I do not think this is the story of loss and of vicious circles, I think this is a story of hope. Yes, it reminded me of challenges, but it left me with gratitude of what we can have and what we can achieve together.
It's ok - you can go and vomit now. Apologies for my unusual outpouring of emotion but this is a good book and should be read.
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