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A review by bethreadsandnaps
Leaving Haven by Kathleen McCleary
3.0
I just don't know about this one. Usually I can empathize with characters' choices even if I don't like what they did. However, I couldn't quite get my head around why Georgia leaves the child that she knows biologically is her husband's and friend's from egg donation and IVF just because they subsequently had an affair. I can see leaving the spouses due to the affair, but I can't get my head around how it was the child's "fault" and how she couldn't be around the child despite knowing the biological aspect all along.
Maybe I would need to have my friend donate her eggs, do IVF, and then find out my husband and friend were having an affair to really understand why I wanted to have nothing to do with the child I knowingly brought into the world.
Back to the book. The timeline was confusing. I suppose I have an easier time with actual dates instead of "6 months ago" when the novel took place in June 2012 and the whole thing skips around. Just write the date without referring to its temporal relation to a point in time.
I wasn't too fond of the character of Georgia. Like I said, I couldn't wrap my head around her choice. Also what annoys me is when a woman wants a child at all costs, goes to extreme measures, and doesn't think of the ramifications. It comes off short-sighted and selfish. Personally I think that's playing with fire when you're talking about bringing life to this world. That's just my perspective, but my caveat is that I just wanted one child and easily conceived that one child.
Other annoyances: rotating narrator, toying with how things unfolded for the first half of the book (we knew it was coming, felt strung along), the timeline jumping.
It did make me think, though, as evidenced by this review. The writing was decent too.
Maybe I would need to have my friend donate her eggs, do IVF, and then find out my husband and friend were having an affair to really understand why I wanted to have nothing to do with the child I knowingly brought into the world.
Back to the book. The timeline was confusing. I suppose I have an easier time with actual dates instead of "6 months ago" when the novel took place in June 2012 and the whole thing skips around. Just write the date without referring to its temporal relation to a point in time.
I wasn't too fond of the character of Georgia. Like I said, I couldn't wrap my head around her choice. Also what annoys me is when a woman wants a child at all costs, goes to extreme measures, and doesn't think of the ramifications. It comes off short-sighted and selfish. Personally I think that's playing with fire when you're talking about bringing life to this world. That's just my perspective, but my caveat is that I just wanted one child and easily conceived that one child.
Other annoyances: rotating narrator, toying with how things unfolded for the first half of the book (we knew it was coming, felt strung along), the timeline jumping.
It did make me think, though, as evidenced by this review. The writing was decent too.