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nordstina's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I am not going to spend a lot of time on this review, because I actively disliked this book through most of it, and in many ways, wish I just did not finish it. The overarching plot is Ruth, a woman living in Chicago with her husband at the time of excitement of Obama's first election, has a secret she has not told him. As he does not understand her hesitancy to have a child with him, she divulges she had a child as a teenager that was given up for adoption. Somehow this disclosure to her husband (who really is not fleshed out as a character), leads her to immediately go back to her small hometown to find out what happened to the son she gave birth to. Ruth has a one track mind, and is incredibly selfish towards others, and I did not understand the impulse to all of a sudden NEED to know. She uses others, and does not take their feelings into consideration. There are subplots that are unnecessary. It's unclear why she befriends a young boy, who feels an instant connection to her (WHY?). I just was so frustrated with her as a character, I could not get into this one. Would not recommend.
nidzi_c's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Police brutality, Grief, Racism, and Pregnancy
jacbom17's review against another edition
4.0
Loved! I was worried at first it was going to be boring because the conflict wasn't that dramatic but it definitely picked up pretty quickly. I really enjoyed the family history from the grandmas pov. It made me do more research abt stuff i feel way too old to be just learning!
bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
There is so much packed into this book that I think it will take me a long time to digest it. Yet as packed as it is, I don't think it was overstuffed, and the issues it presents feel like an organic part of the narrative.
I think what struck me the most about this book was the contrast between Corey and Midnight, and how Midnight just did not understand the implications of his actions. As a reader, his white privilege was so clear to me, but he definitely did not recognize it. It really drove home for me how much work white Americans need to do to better understand where POC are coming from, and how different their life experiences are from our own because of race. It was very chilling to me to see how Midnight's ignorance of Corey's reality often placed his friend in real peril. It drives home how virulent racism is, of course, bad, but ignorance isn't much better.
The only thing I didn't like as much about the book was the way Xavier reacted to Ruth's secret. I felt like he was judging her without trying to understand where she was coming from, and I would have liked to see this addressed more.
There is so much packed into this book that I think it will take me a long time to digest it. Yet as packed as it is, I don't think it was overstuffed, and the issues it presents feel like an organic part of the narrative.
I think what struck me the most about this book was the contrast between Corey and Midnight, and how Midnight just did not understand the implications of his actions. As a reader, his white privilege was so clear to me, but he definitely did not recognize it. It really drove home for me how much work white Americans need to do to better understand where POC are coming from, and how different their life experiences are from our own because of race. It was very chilling to me to see how Midnight's ignorance of Corey's reality often placed his friend in real peril. It drives home how virulent racism is, of course, bad, but ignorance isn't much better.
The only thing I didn't like as much about the book was the way Xavier reacted to Ruth's secret. I felt like he was judging her without trying to understand where she was coming from, and I would have liked to see this addressed more.
dwkiley's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
whatxesaid's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
sambolter's review against another edition
2.0
The potential was so there but I just did not enjoy the writing. Falls somewhere between a 2 and a 3 star for me
xereads's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I give this read a 3.75/5 stars. I enjoyed Ruth’s story and think she had some character development. I wish the ending expanded more on her and Xavier’s next steps though. I had a hard time seeing the relevance of Obama’s election and it relating to the rest of the book. There were heavy racial undertones that I think would’ve still stuck without mentioning the election because it made it almost like 3 different stories in one. Also I had a love/hate relationship with Midnight’s character and there was 0 character development for his dad’s character and I didn’t like that. I was entertained while reading and would recommend to others to get their takes and discuss further.
hollandvk's review against another edition
4.0
I received this as an ARC from Goodreads Giveaways.
It was surprisingly heartwarming, despite dragging out all of the family secrets.
It was surprisingly heartwarming, despite dragging out all of the family secrets.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Book on CD narrated by Shayna Small
3***
Ruth Tuttle is a chemical engineer married to a marketing executive and living the good life in Chicago. Obama has just been elected President and Ruth’s husband feels the time is right for them to start a family. But Ruth isn’t so sure. What Xavier doesn’t know is that she had a child when she was in high school and gave up that child so she could continue her education. Now she feels she needs to go back to Ganton, Indiana and confront her family about what happened to her baby.
There’s a good premise here and some interesting family dynamics, but I thought Johnson relied too much on the secrets and failed to make sense of the present. Ruth is supposed to be this brilliant scientist and yet she behaves just as impulsively as Midnight, the young white boy she befriends. I get that this is an emotionally fraught situation, but she doesn’t seem to ever sit and think things through before acting.
And I was really bothered by the situation with Midnight, a child who desperately needs parenting. I can understand why he acts out as he does – he’s just a kid and lacks stability at home. And I totally get it that children in these kinds of situations rarely have a happy ending. But Johnson seems to just drop Midnight’s storyline without so much s a by your leave.
Still, Johnson captured my attention early and kept me turning pages (or changing discs). I wanted to know what would happen to these people and how their stories would play out. This is her debut novel, and I think a little more work (and editing) might have made this a very memorable work.
Shayna Small does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She has a believable voice for the 10-year-old Midnight, as well as the many adults in the novel.
3***
Ruth Tuttle is a chemical engineer married to a marketing executive and living the good life in Chicago. Obama has just been elected President and Ruth’s husband feels the time is right for them to start a family. But Ruth isn’t so sure. What Xavier doesn’t know is that she had a child when she was in high school and gave up that child so she could continue her education. Now she feels she needs to go back to Ganton, Indiana and confront her family about what happened to her baby.
There’s a good premise here and some interesting family dynamics, but I thought Johnson relied too much on the secrets and failed to make sense of the present. Ruth is supposed to be this brilliant scientist and yet she behaves just as impulsively as Midnight, the young white boy she befriends. I get that this is an emotionally fraught situation, but she doesn’t seem to ever sit and think things through before acting.
And I was really bothered by the situation with Midnight, a child who desperately needs parenting. I can understand why he acts out as he does – he’s just a kid and lacks stability at home. And I totally get it that children in these kinds of situations rarely have a happy ending. But Johnson seems to just drop Midnight’s storyline without so much s a by your leave.
Still, Johnson captured my attention early and kept me turning pages (or changing discs). I wanted to know what would happen to these people and how their stories would play out. This is her debut novel, and I think a little more work (and editing) might have made this a very memorable work.
Shayna Small does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She has a believable voice for the 10-year-old Midnight, as well as the many adults in the novel.