The Grown Ups: A Novel by Robin Antalek #blog tour #review
The
Grown Ups
A
Novel
By: Robin Antalek
Releasing January 27th, 2015
William Morrow
From
Robin Antalek, author of The Summer We
Fell Apart, comes an evocative and emotionally resonant coming-of-age novel
involving three friends who explore what it means to be happy, what it means to
grow up, and the difficulties in doing both together. Spanning over a decade,
and told in alternating voices, The Grown
Ups explores the indelible bonds between friends and family and the
challenges that threaten to divide them. It is the addictive and moving story
of these old friends who wind up confronting their past in order to find
happiness in their adult lives that make this novel an anticipated winter
release.
Sam
Turner, the summer he turns 15, feels lucky enough to enjoy the unexpected
attention of his friend Suzie Epstein, even though it’s only a few secret
months. For reasons Sam doesn’t entirely understand—and will never question—the
budding relationship is kept hidden from their close circle of friends. But
before their summer tans can even start to fade, Sam’s world unexpectedly
shatters twice: Suzie’s parents are moving away to save their marriage, and his
own mother has suddenly left the house, leaving Sam’s father alone to raise two
sons.
Watching as her parents’ marital troubles escalate, Suzie Epstein takes on the responsibility of raising her two younger brothers while simultaneously planning an early escape to college to seek independence. Though she occasionally thinks of Sam, it’s her oldest friend Bella Spade she finds herself missing. Embarrassed by the destructive wake of her parents as they left the only place Suzie could call home, Suzie makes no attempt to reconnect with the one person she needs. Its years later that a chance meeting with Sam’s older brother Michael will reunite her with both Sam and Bella—finally forcing her to confront her friends, her past and what she left behind.
After
losing Suzie, Bella surprisingly finds her first real love in Sam. But his
inability to commit to her or even his own future eventually drives them apart.
Watching Suzie and Michael as they seem to have worked it all out, Bella’s only
to wonder where she went wrong and how to make it right.
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Excerpt
Years ago on
a December night in their junior year of high school they had been in Peter
Chang’s basement before the winter dance, when Sam had turned to Bella, his
eyes as navy as his sweater, and said, “So?”
It began as
simply as that, friends who had known each other since they were in diapers.
Sam made her happy. Just the sight of
him as his cheeks flushed a deep shade of red was all it took. She wanted to
kiss him and she knew that he probably wanted to kiss her too. Later, when they had all stumbled from
Peter’s basement, wandering through the streets of their neighborhood to the
high school, Sam had bumped up against her shoulder and she had found his hand
down by his side and grabbed hold of his fingers. He wound them through hers and hadn’t let go,
and right then in that moment she had been so sure of everything she had ever
wanted.
Since her
mother’s funeral, Bella had been stuck on that memory, and she didn’t know
why. Maybe it was only the ache of
nostalgia. She wanted to lie in bed
alone and go over every minute she had spent in Sam’s arms. But then she had noticed the way her mother
was looking at her and instead she had crawled into bed with her and whispered
about Sam. The mustard light in the room
was diffused by the angle of the bathroom door, and she caught a glimpse of her
mother’s face in the shadows. She was
smiling but there was also something sad in her expression.
Friends. Family. Author Robin Antalek captures and conveys the intricacies of relationships in prose-like writing and I didn't want to end my time spent with Suzie, Bella and Sam. These childhood friends experience the complexities life throws at them in this compelling coming of age story. Told in multiple pov's, the story moves from one to another, spotlighting each individual and revealing their deepest thoughts and feelings. I felt the author did an excellent job bringing her well-rounded characters to life. Their voices remained unique and strong as their emotions ran the gamut from heartbreak to love and more.
The shift in time periods took some time to get used to and I'm usually not a fan of this writing device. There were some instances when I wanted some more to help me understand an individual's motivations, especially when the characters were young adults. Besides that, I enjoyed the stories and experiences. Intense and revealing, The Grown-Ups: A Novel is the first true gem I've read in 2015.
Rating: 4
Cover comment:
Interesting but bland.
Book source:
Edelweiss
Author Info
Robin
Antalek is the author of The Summer We Fell Apart. Her nonfiction writing has
been published in literary journals and in several collections, including The
Beautiful Anthology; Writing off Script: Writers on the Influence of Cinema;
and The Weeklings: Revolution #1 Selected Essays 2012-1013. Her short fiction
has appeared in 52 Stories, Five Chapters, Sun Dog, The Southeast Review, and
Literary Mama among others. She lives in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Giveaway
*Avon is hosting a Tour Wide Giveaway for Three Print Copies of THE SUMMER WE FELL APART by Robin Antelak
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you for hosting today!
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