Scan barcode
A review by aksimmo
Our Short History by Lauren Grodstein
5.0
Oh, my heart! Our Short History is a novel about political consultant Karen and her six year old son Jake. Karen, a single mother is dying of ovarian cancer. As a gift to Jake she is writing a manuscript about her life before and after him and little words of wisdom for him along the way.
Jake has never met his father, but now he's asking to. His father Dave was adamant that he didn't want kids, so Karen has never told him about Jake's birth, but when she finally does he seems excited to meet him and wants to be part of his life. This is an internal struggle for Karen because she feels that Jake is hers and hers alone and she's not ready to give one little piece of her son away.
This book tore at my heartstrings. As a mother, I knew I would feel every one of the feelings Karen felt. That fierce protectiveness, the inability to share him with another, the sorrow in knowing she would never see him grow up, the need to teach him even in her absence, the fear that he would change, the rage that another would waltz in and try to take over. Lauren Grodstein does a remarkable job of bringing Karen to life even when her death is so imminent. This book packs an emotional wallop and it's one I know I will be thinking about for days to come. 5 out of 5 stars!
Jake has never met his father, but now he's asking to. His father Dave was adamant that he didn't want kids, so Karen has never told him about Jake's birth, but when she finally does he seems excited to meet him and wants to be part of his life. This is an internal struggle for Karen because she feels that Jake is hers and hers alone and she's not ready to give one little piece of her son away.
This book tore at my heartstrings. As a mother, I knew I would feel every one of the feelings Karen felt. That fierce protectiveness, the inability to share him with another, the sorrow in knowing she would never see him grow up, the need to teach him even in her absence, the fear that he would change, the rage that another would waltz in and try to take over. Lauren Grodstein does a remarkable job of bringing Karen to life even when her death is so imminent. This book packs an emotional wallop and it's one I know I will be thinking about for days to come. 5 out of 5 stars!