Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release: 8th February 2018
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis:
"'Sometimes, family hurts each other. But after that’s done you bandage each other up, and you move on. Together. So you can go and think that you’re some lone wolf, but you’re not. You’ve got us now, like it or not, and we’ve got you.'
When 16 year-old Grace gives up her baby for adoption, she decides that the time has come to find out more about her own biological mother. Although her biological mum proves elusive, her search leads her to two half-siblings she never knew existed.
Maya, 15, has been adopted by wealthy parents and seems to have the picture-perfect family – that is, if you look past her alcoholic mother and the fact that Maya stands out like a sore thumb.
Older brother Joaquin hasn’t been so lucky. At 18, he’s shuffled between foster home after foster home, always careful never to get attached to anyone or anything, because it always gets taken away.
When these three siblings come together, they find in themselves the place they can belong, while the secrets they guard threaten to explode..."
Review
I’ve been a huge fan of Robin Benway’s books ever since I read her debut novel Audrey, Wait! way back in 2013 so when I saw that she was releasing Far From The Tree, a new book all about adoptive families (a personal buzzword of mine) this year I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! Thanks to the publisher I didn’t have to wait for very long and I devoured my proof copy over a couple of days.
Robin Benway’s writing is so gorgeous. She has a way of getting across exactly what her characters are feeling so that you connect with them on an emotional level straight away. This book opens on our main character Grace having just given birth and putting her baby up for adoption. I was immediately thrown into Grace’s shoes and felt her loss tremendously. Being an adopted child herself, this pivotal moment puts Grace on the path of reaching out to her biological siblings Maya and Joaquin in attempts to track down their birth mother.
The book follows the perspectives of Grace, Maya and Joaquin in alternating chapters and I came to care about each sibling so much. Maya has always felt like she’s never quite fit in with her adoptive family and Joaquin has serious trust issues after spending his entire life bouncing from one foster family to another.
One of my favourite things about this book was seeing the relationship that the siblings have develop over time as they let each other in and built a support system. Having experience with adoption in my own family, I have to say that I thought that Robin Benway represented the topic really well. I love family based YA Contemporary and found it so refreshing to read a book about adoption, something that I think that the genre is severely lacking.
Far From The Tree is a beautifully written, emotionally evocative novel that looks at different types of families, sibling relationships and how sometimes home isn’t a place, it’s a person. If you’re after diverse books about modern families I can’t recommend this one enough!
