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A review by gettinglostinagoodbook
Outside the Lines by Amy Hatvany
4.0
I'm not sure if this is a true 4 stars.
There is so much I really like about this book. However there is enough i don't for me to question my rating.
First of all - I really liked Eden. She was a character that I really responded to. She was likeable, but had enough flaws to be believable. She grew as the story progressed, not just in age as we jumped in and out of her childhood but also in strength and determination. Growing up with a mentally ill father was difficult for Eden. She loved when he was "good". He was fun loving, creative, giving. He lived for his daughter. But when he was "off" he was something else entirely.
I loved how Hatvany showed us that this was a struggle for David as well. He wanted to be a good father and husband but he wanted to be himself as well. Living in the fog that the meds left him in was not an option for him. Living with the screaming voices and other struggles wasn't either. David did not know how to live with his wife and child, be responsible, lead a "normal" life and still be himself. Unfortunately he also struggled to live without them.
Finding a happy medium living a homeless life was the only way that David was able to manage. He was able to make enough money doing what he loved in order to survive. He wanted nothing other than a bed to sleep in and a bottle to help him keep away the trouble.
Eden had to not only find her father, but find a way to accept him as he was. Jack (the typical romantic hero -the part I found lacking because it was do predictable) truly helped her to see this. He treated the homeless not as people who needed rescuing, but as people who were living the way they did by choice. They didn't need saving, just a helping hand every now and then.
Thank you Hatvany for portraying the mentally ill and the homeless in a manner that few before ever have. An honest open approach to a very timely and sensitive subject.
There is so much I really like about this book. However there is enough i don't for me to question my rating.
First of all - I really liked Eden. She was a character that I really responded to. She was likeable, but had enough flaws to be believable. She grew as the story progressed, not just in age as we jumped in and out of her childhood but also in strength and determination. Growing up with a mentally ill father was difficult for Eden. She loved when he was "good". He was fun loving, creative, giving. He lived for his daughter. But when he was "off" he was something else entirely.
I loved how Hatvany showed us that this was a struggle for David as well. He wanted to be a good father and husband but he wanted to be himself as well. Living in the fog that the meds left him in was not an option for him. Living with the screaming voices and other struggles wasn't either. David did not know how to live with his wife and child, be responsible, lead a "normal" life and still be himself. Unfortunately he also struggled to live without them.
Finding a happy medium living a homeless life was the only way that David was able to manage. He was able to make enough money doing what he loved in order to survive. He wanted nothing other than a bed to sleep in and a bottle to help him keep away the trouble.
Eden had to not only find her father, but find a way to accept him as he was. Jack (the typical romantic hero -the part I found lacking because it was do predictable) truly helped her to see this. He treated the homeless not as people who needed rescuing, but as people who were living the way they did by choice. They didn't need saving, just a helping hand every now and then.
Thank you Hatvany for portraying the mentally ill and the homeless in a manner that few before ever have. An honest open approach to a very timely and sensitive subject.