Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

 

 

Book synopsis(via Goodreads):

 

Two women, each cast adrift by unforseen events in their lives, meet by accident on a Nantucket beach and are drawn into a friendship.

Olivia is a young mother whose eight-year-old severely autistic son has recently died. Her marriage badly frayed by years of stress, she comes to the island in a trial separation to try and make sense of the tragedy of her Anthony’s short life.
Beth, a stay-at-home mother of three, is also recently separated after discovering her husband’s long-term infidelity. In an attempt to recapture a sense of her pre-married life, she rekindles her passion for writing, determined to find her own voice again. But surprisingly, as she does so, Beth also find herself channeling the voice of an unknown boy, exuberant in his perceptions of the world around him if autistic in his expression—a voice she can share with Olivia—(is it Anthony?)—that brings comfort and meaning to them both.

 

This insomniac's opinion:

 

I loved, loved, loved this novel. However, I feel that much of my feelings regarding the characters had to do with my personal experiences as a pediatric nurse who works with special needs children and their families. Therefore, others may read this novel and wonder why I loved it so.

 

I admit that this novel is a bit chick-litty(yes, chick-litty is a word. Or, it should be). And, I generally wouldn't give chick lit 5 stars. However, something about the intensity of the characters rang true with my soul and I adored the book. Lisa Genova writes eloquently but does not stray from tackling true, raw emotions of a mother grieving her son. In this novel, she takes the reader along on a journey to the very depths of that grief. And yet-somehow, at the end, the reader is left with a feeling of resolution and hope. Perfection.

 

Worth staying up all night to read?

 

Yes. Have a box of tissue ready.

 

Rating: 5 stars