eclecticallybookishcassie 's review for:

A Little Hope by Ethan Joella

5.0

---

Wow. I had a good feeling about this author based on friends’ opinions and they steered me rightly. The final chapter opens with a paragraph about flying over Connecticut in a helicopter and being surprised by how many rivers there are. Joella has created a similar landscape in this book, taking the many streams of each character’s life, Greg and his life-threatening diagnosis, Darcy still grieving her husband ten years post-loss, Ginger, Luke, Alex, Ahmed and more, and bringing them together in a delta of stories. While, at times I felt like I was flying overhead, I too, was surprised by how these rivers intersected. A Little Hope was layered and emotional, connecting characters in a small Connecticut community without being forced or convenient. I cried when they cried. I laughed when they laughed. I found the characters deeply human. I resonated when they voiced thoughts I am sometimes too ashamed to admit I’ve had or emotions I wish I could change—when anger or jealousy is unsolicited or unexplainable in my heart, but also unshakeable. There was a subtlety to the closure and character development, so subtle I had to actively reflect back on how characters had grown or changed. Some transformed dramatically and some very little at all, but isn’t that life?

The bottom line: The intricate weaving together of these characters’ lives in this small community and their grappling with grief in its many forms made this a beautiful debut by this author. I already have The Same Bright Stars waiting on my shelf to read next. For a book that dealt with such serious content, I was left with exactly what its title promises—more than just a little hope.

— NOTES —
Genres: literary fiction
POV: third-person
Content: cancer, death, grief, infidelity