4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
A Bend in the Willow by Susan Clayton-Goldner is a realistic fiction novel that weaves together many themes, the most prominent of which are the themes of maternal love and determination, and the effect the past has on the present.
The novel starts with Robin Lee Carter in Willowood, Kentucky, in the 1950s. These flashbacks give the reader glimpses at the motivation behind Robin Lee’s reinvention of herself as reputable and educated Catherine Henry, whose past is a series of fictions she tells her husband Ben, a dean at a medical school in Tucson, Arizona. In 1985, Michael, their five-year-old son, is diagnosed with chemo-resistant leukemia, a development that threatens to upend Catherine Henry’s comfortable way of life. Determined to help Michael and desperate for a family member’s matching bone marrow, she contacts her nineteen-year-old son, whom she gave up for adoption, and returns to Willowood to find her brother. Aware that admitting to her presence at the scene of the house fire that killed her father could lead to her arrest on a charge of homicide, Catherine is resolute in her decision to risk the ideal life she has created for herself in order to keep Michael alive.
My expectations going into this book were rather low, since harrowing stories of adversity often become melodrama. However, this novel surprised me. This is a sensitively written narrative. The author handled the characters and their hardships with poise, almost understatement. She never tells the reader how to feel, but presents opportunities for empathy with the characters. Clayton-Goldner’s characters are relatable, and her depiction of the children is particularly lifelike. The vivid and poetic writing kept me absorbed in the story – A Bend in the Willow is a book I didn’t want to put down until I reached the end. Overall, the pacing was quick and the flashbacks never slowed the story down. Indeed, the author balanced the story well between Catherine in the present and Robin Lee in the past. I particularly liked the way questions about authenticity are raised in the book by contrasting the point of view between Robin Lee’s first person, and Catherine’s third person.
There were some things in the book that bothered me. Although it never spoiled the book, there was a degree of predictability regarding Catherine’s past that I found tiresome. Catherine herself was a difficult, hazy character; her determination to save Michael even if it cost her a great deal is commendable, but it came with a chilly indifference to her older son and brother’s feelings when she made contact with them for their bone marrow. That was an exploitative advance on her part. Given this, her brother’s anger and eventual compassion were haunting.
The few flaws aside, A Bend in the Willow is a gem. There were no editing and grammar issues to disrupt my reading, so I will rate this novel 4 out of 4 stars. I’ll recommend this book to readers who are interested in seeing complex morality handled with finesse, and to those who enjoy good character-driven stories.
******
A Bend In The Willow
View: on Bookshelves
Like Lest92's review? Post a comment saying so!
