The Edge of Belonging

 

     BOOK REVIEW:   When Ivy Rose returns to her hometown to oversee her late grandmother's estate sale, she soon discovers that the woman left behind more than trinkets and photo frames--she provided a path to the truth behind Ivy's adoption. Shocked, Ivy seeks clues to her past, but a key piece to the mystery is missing. 

     Twenty-four years earlier, Harvey James finds an abandoned newborn who gives him a sense of human connection for the first time in his life. His desire to care for the baby runs up against the stark fact that he is homeless. When he becomes entwined with two people seeking to help him find his way, Harvey knows he must keep the baby a secret or risk losing the only person he's ever loved. 

     In this dual-timeline story from debut novelist Amanda Cox, the truth--both the search for it and the desire to keep it from others--takes center stage as Ivy and Harvey grapple with love, loss, and letting go. 

     MY REVIEW:   I quite liked this book. It has been awhile since I enjoyed a book this much. The story was moving and sweet. The dual-timeline was done well and each chapter sported a date to keep the reader on track. It is certainly no mystery novel; as it progresses you can easily predict outcomes, but there were a few surprises thrown in. And the story is not a typical one. It's a story of adoption so you know everyone connects somehow, but the focus is on the people--what they're going through and how everything is affecting them. It's a story full of hurt and healing, sorrow and newfound joy. One of my favorite lines in the book is this one about being there for others and not making any pain insignificant: "It's not about your pain versus my pain. It's about sharing in the human experience and knowing what it is to hurt." 

     When it comes to Christian books, there are two ditches: having too much religion leaving no space for realism, and too little giving the characters a happy ending of their own strength. At the start of the book I thought it needed more of God in it, but as it progressed I saw the strong theme of ''you are precious in God's eyes; He created you and He doesn't make mistakes". It's not a story of redemption and turning your life to God as much as it's a story of belonging, and discovering that God--and those close to you--love you deeply simply because you are you. 

     A huge theme of this book that I really loved is the the practice of helping others. Harvey was one of the most loving, helpful people despite his rough life and appearance. He may not have had the resources to help in traditional ways, but he did some pretty selfless things for those he could help. And in turn, he was helped and given a chance to prove himself reliable based only on the giver's generous heart. So little can be so much to someone who needs it. 

  I received a copy of this book from REVELL and was not required to write a positive review.