Untethered
Fiction
G. P. Putnam's Sons
June 7, 2016
Hardcover
352
Publisher via BookSparks
Char Hawthorn, college professor, wife and stepmother to a spirited fifteen-year-old daughter, loves her family and the joyful rhythms of work and parenting. But when her husband dies in a car accident, the “step” in Char’s title suddenly matters a great deal. In the eyes of the law, all rights to daughter Allie belong to Lindy, Allie’s self-absorbed biological mother, who wants the girl to move to her home in California.
While Allie begins to struggle in school and tensions mount between her and Char, Allie’s connection to young Morgan, a ten-year-old-girl she tutors, seems to keep her grounded. But then Morgan, who was adopted out of foster care, suddenly disappears, and Char is left to wonder about a possible future without Allie and what to do about Morgan, a child caught up in a terrible crack in the system.
My review:
This book explores what it means to be a family. From a child in the foster care system, to a child whose parent has died and is now left with a stepmom (who technically has no parental rights due to the circumstances). I adored the first half of the book when we explore the ramifications for Char and Allie when Allie's mom reappears after the death of her dad (and Char's husband). I thought the emotions and angst were very well written and felt very real to me. I was deeply embedded in this story, but then things start to turn toward the end of the book, to the point of being rather unbelievable. I still raced through to the end to find out how it would all end up, but I was not nearly as invested in the characters during the car escapade. Some great social problems relating to the foster care system and the re-homing of adopted children. Lots of good secondary characters, particularly Morgan's adoptive mother.
Well written page turner exploring the definition of family. I would have preferred a different second half, but it still held my interest and kept me up late to finish.
This book is part of the July BookSparks summer reading challenge. Click on the link or follow along on social media with #SRC2016 and #BestSummerEver to see more books and reviews.
I really enjoyed this one, too. It made me think about situations that had never come to mind before. I agree with you on the second half of the book; the events were a little far-fetched.