Paige is very relatable as she struggles with how to handle the questions her son (conceived via an anonymous sperm donor) has about his dad while she tries to reconcile her feelings towards her own father and how their strained relationship has affected her life. The intricacies of her story are so relevant with today‘s genetic advances and readily available DNA tests, but the twist that brings the donor into their lives is a bit farfetched.

Tom‘s stories of the childhood he shared with his siblings are simultaneously fascinating and horrible, and it is interesting to follow along as he unravels how they each ended yo where they are today. But I felt like his reflections were often filled with superfluous metaphors and descriptions that resulted in whole paragraphs I could skip without missing much of the story.

Something about solo journeys of self discovery and healing draws me—I loved the movie The Way even though I can‘t even eat alone much less embark on a month long journey alone. Reading about her hot mess of a life before she started her hike, to the hot mess she was as an inexperienced hiker, to how she toughened up, prevailed, and found her way forward was both raw and inspiring. I hope to do just a short part of the PCT someday!

The book starts off slow, and I had trouble getting into it. As it progressed, I really enjoyed reading about the war‘s effect on 2 completely diff characters. We see Mary, a young socialite, struggle to contribute something during the war despite her family remaining virtually unaffected. In contrast, Alistair is living the harrowing experience of a soldier in the midst of the war. I also thought the ending of their story was quite realistic.