The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward
Published by Random House Publishing Group on January 20th 2015
Genres: Contemporary Women, Fiction, Literary, Psychological, Sagas
Pages: 288
Goodreads
From the acclaimed author of How to Be Lost and Close Your Eyes comes a beautiful and heartrending novel about motherhood, resilience, and faith-a ripped-from-the-headlines story of two families on both sides of the American border. In this elegant novel, the lives of Alice and Carla will intersect in a profound and surprising way. Poignant and arresting, The Same Sky is about finding courage through struggle, hope amid heartache, and summoning the strength-no matter what dangers await-to find the place where you belong.
I'm not sure if I picked this book to read because of the pretty cover, or if I was actually interested in the subject matter of the book. Either way, the book, The Same Sky, by Amanda Eyre Ward was an interesting read and I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a book.
I had just finished a book written by a husband and wife that had one chapter in one person's perspective and the next chapter in the other's, so this book seemed to continue that trend. Chapters alternate between Carla and Alice. Each story is compelling so you do stay involved. I did find that when it was a husband and wife telling the same story about the same events (such as the book I had just finished), it seemed to work for me better than it did for me with this book. I found that if I didn't read this book continuously, when I would pick the book back up again, I would get a little disoriented about whose story I was actually in and where I was in that particular story...... but that's probably just me and what I've decided is my adult ADD.
This is the story of two people - a 12-year old girl named Carla, and a woman named Alice. Carla lives in Honduras with her 6 year old brother and their lives are very sad - their own is riddled with gangs, rampant hunger. The government and police are corrupt and the crime is horrible and constant. They receive no education and Carla has no one to trust. People living in Honduras have no hope for a future so they risk their lives to escape to the promise of a better life. Carla's mother left the entire family and made the trip to Austin, Texas, to save money to help her family while Carla helps her ailing grandmother take care of her twin brothers. They barely have any food and are lucky to have a roof over their heads. One day Carla decides to put her fate in her own hands and decides to make the illegal trip to America to find her mom and hopefully get a shot at a better life.
Meanwhile, Alice Conroe and her husband live in Austin, where Carla's mother lives and works. Alice and her husband own a very popular barbecue restaurant and they are enjoying the good life, except for the fact that they are desperate to have a child. They are both very involved in their thriving business, the local community, are totally in love with each other, but due to the fact there are no children in their lives, they feel as if a link is missing for them.
I won't give out any spoilers here, but I can tell you that you will breeze through this book in just a couple of hours if you read it straight through. It is well written, there's a good story line and the characters are real. The only criticism is the fact that the story contains the use of what I call f" bombs. I don't think using this word is necessary, nor do I believe they add to a story in any way. But that is just my personal opinion.
Amanda Eyre Ward was born in New York City in 1972. She lives in Austin, TX with her family. She went to Brownsville and San Diego and met kids who had been caught trying to enter the US illegally. They were brave, hopeful, scared...and she says they won her over completely.
I received a digital copy of this book through my relationship with NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and unbiased opinion.
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