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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Heart of It All is a quiet, beautifully written novel, one that gave me all the feels and which highlights a simple yet powerful, always important theme.
It is set in a small Ohio town whose economic fortunes are waning and focuses on the intertwined lives of several families. The Baileys are white, long term residents of the town, and have just buried their baby son. The Marwats are originally from Pakistan and own a factory which is the town’s largest employer. Among those who work there are Tom Bailey, Mary Lou Miller who also cares for her aging mother, and newcomer Anthony Shaw whose aunt Paula, the only Black woman in town, has taken him in so he can escape the street violence in Cleveland which recently claimed the life of his best friend. Through the eyes of a large cast of characters we see a whole range of problems - grief, bullying, racism, drugs, domestic abuse, dementia, financial insecurity, difficulty accessing health care, disordered eating, issues connected to caring for aging parents, child abuse and more. It may be a lot but it never feels overwhelming or overdone.
Kiefer writes his characters with such compassion, empathy and tenderness. Even those who are less likeable are always understandable, never demonised. While the characters deal with very different issues one thing they all have in common is loneliness, the belief that they are alone with their problems. What Kiefer excels at is showing the importance of human connection, of sometimes small acts of kindness which make a real difference to another character’s life.
I had never heard of Christian Kiefer before. On the strength of this genuinely heartwarming book - an enthusiastic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me - I’m eager to dig into his back list. Many thanks to @netgalley and @melvillehouse for my eARC. The Heart of It All releases on September 12.
“And there they were, these two, clinging together as we all do in times of terror and heartbreak and sadness. And in love. The unbearable days cresting on into others until we know that they were not so unbearable after all for here we stand, still and ever, you and I, our hearts beating in our chests and our lives wild in the face of it.”
It is set in a small Ohio town whose economic fortunes are waning and focuses on the intertwined lives of several families. The Baileys are white, long term residents of the town, and have just buried their baby son. The Marwats are originally from Pakistan and own a factory which is the town’s largest employer. Among those who work there are Tom Bailey, Mary Lou Miller who also cares for her aging mother, and newcomer Anthony Shaw whose aunt Paula, the only Black woman in town, has taken him in so he can escape the street violence in Cleveland which recently claimed the life of his best friend. Through the eyes of a large cast of characters we see a whole range of problems - grief, bullying, racism, drugs, domestic abuse, dementia, financial insecurity, difficulty accessing health care, disordered eating, issues connected to caring for aging parents, child abuse and more. It may be a lot but it never feels overwhelming or overdone.
Kiefer writes his characters with such compassion, empathy and tenderness. Even those who are less likeable are always understandable, never demonised. While the characters deal with very different issues one thing they all have in common is loneliness, the belief that they are alone with their problems. What Kiefer excels at is showing the importance of human connection, of sometimes small acts of kindness which make a real difference to another character’s life.
I had never heard of Christian Kiefer before. On the strength of this genuinely heartwarming book - an enthusiastic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me - I’m eager to dig into his back list. Many thanks to @netgalley and @melvillehouse for my eARC. The Heart of It All releases on September 12.
“And there they were, these two, clinging together as we all do in times of terror and heartbreak and sadness. And in love. The unbearable days cresting on into others until we know that they were not so unbearable after all for here we stand, still and ever, you and I, our hearts beating in our chests and our lives wild in the face of it.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Dementia, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Minor: Drug use
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