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Summary
Summary
Acclaimed author Jennifer Gilmore's intimate and achingly beautiful novel deftly explores the role that chance and choice play in shaping the lives of two teenagers who are separated by sixteen years, but whose lives are intertwined.
*Two Starred Reviews!*
"This emotional, visceral novel haunted me in the best ways. Jennifer Gilmore has written something of real depth, which will leave readers thinking for a long time about the lives that other people lead, as well as the ones they might have led. If Only is gripping and shiveringly beautiful; a true achievement."--Meg Wolitzer, bestselling author of The Interestings and Belzhar
BEFORE: When Bridget imagined her life at sixteen, it didn't look like this. She didn't think that her boyfriend would dump her for another girl. And she certainly didn't think that she would be pregnant.
With just a few months until she gives birth, Bridget must envision an entirely new future--one for her baby. But as she sifts through the many paths and the many people who want to parent her child, she can't help but feel that there is no right decision.
AFTER: Ivy doesn't know much about her birth mother. She knows that she is now the same age Bridget was when she placed Ivy for adoption. She knows that Bridget was the one who named her. And she knows that fifteen years ago Bridget disappeared from Ivy's and her adoptive moms' lives.
Ivy wants to discover more about herself, but as she goes to find Bridget, she can't help but feel that the risks might far outweigh the benefits of knowing where she comes from and why her birth mother chose to walk away.
"Gilmore brings special yet subtle artistry to her interwoven story, weaving motifs and even seemingly extraneous people through the different iterations to keep each version connected with the others."--BCCB (starred review)
"Gilmore's gritty multigenerational tale not only seeks to ask adoption's toughest questions, but dares to offer no easy answers: Not to be missed."--Kirkus (starred review)
"Gilmore's writing is emotionally raw yet beautiful, touching upon some traditional Y.A. themes...with an almost mystical feel."--New York Times Book Review
Reviews (6)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Bridget is a pregnant 16-year-old rapidly running out of time to decide what the future will look like-for her and for her unborn baby girl. Sixteen years later, that baby, Ivy, is happily living with her loving adoptive moms but becoming increasingly determined to make contact with her birth mother. Sprinkled throughout are "if only" vignettes-which envision a variety of possible futures for Bridget or Ivy-and are often confusing enough to pull readers out of the narrative's flow, especially early on in the novel. It's clear that Gilmore, an adoptive mother herself, is passionate about the topic and interested in exploring the emotional facets of the adoption process from the perspectives of all parties involved, but the novel suffers from an extremely narrow focus, with everything revolving around the adoption. Neither Bridget nor Ivy are well developed-they have no real personalities or variety in story arcs, and little-to-no interaction with the novel's few secondary characters. However, because the teen years are a time of intense curiosity and identity formation, this laser focus is not entirely unbelievable. Half of the book is written from the perspective of the birth mother-a viewpoint not usually covered in fiction with adopted characters. VERDICT Despite its literary shortcomings, this title would be a good addition to YA -collections.-Ann Santori, Cook Memorial Public Library, Libertyville, IL © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Gilmore (We Were Never Here) explores how one decision can change the course of multiple lives in this lyrical, heartfelt novel that alternates between the perspectives of a pregnant teen and her child 16 years later. In 2000, Bridget is faced with the impossible mission of picking the perfect adoptive parents for her unborn daughter. But how can she know if she's making the right choice when she wants so badly to keep her baby? In 2017, her daughter Ivy knows little about her birth mother and is eager to meet her face-to-face, but although the adoption was supposed to be open, no one has heard a word from Bridget in years. Sandwiched between Ivy's quest to find Bridget and Bridget's ordeal interviewing prospective parents, chapters show what might have happened if Ivy had been adopted by different couples or raised by her biological mother. Although the alternate possibilities may initially cause some confusion, ideas regarding the butterfly effect ("My life exists because of a swish of that butterfly's wing," Ivy speculates. "I could be anywhere. I could be anyone. Am I the best me possible?") will likely inspire readers to stretch their imaginations. Ages 14-up. Agent: Jennifer Joel, Curtis Brown. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Introspective narration alternates between that of pregnant sixteen-year-old Ivy, choosing adoptive parents for her baby in 2017, and the parallel story of her own mother, Bridget, sixteen years prior. Readers who carefully follow the nonlinear narrative will find an original and thoughtful lens through which to examine teenage pregnancy and adoption. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A probing look at teen pregnancy and adoption.Acclaimed novelist Gilmore (We Were Never Here, 2016, etc.) explores the loaded subject of adoption from multiple perspectives. She fashions two first-person narratives: Bridget, a pregnant 16-year-old grappling with whether to keep her baby at the turn of the 21st century, and Ivy, a 16-year-old adoptee, who in 2017 decides the time to find her birth mother has come. Early on, Gilmore slowly reveals that Ivy is the daughter Bridget gave to lesbian couple Andrea and Joanne in 2000, exiting their lives shortly thereafter, leaving only letters for Ivy. While the intricately interwoven nonlinear narrative offers much food for thought in terms of identity formation and reflects a concerted effort to present characters from a variety of diverse backgrounds, the novel excels in diving head-on into the deep moral and existential quandaries unplanned pregnancy and adoption present. On the one hand, Bridget expresses the view that "adoption is always the story of someone breaking someone else's heart," just as Ivy tries to reconcile feeling fortunate"I am the prize. I have never not felt that way."with wondering "Why did she hand me over in the end? What did I do that was so bad?" Bridget and Ivy are white.Gilmore's gritty multigenerational tale not only seeks to ask adoption's toughest questions, but dares to offer no easy answers: Not to be missed. (Fiction. 14-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This book, which is somewhat experimental in format, alternates between Bridget and Ivy. In 2000, 16-year-old Bridget is pregnant and searching for the perfect parents for her daughter. In 2017, Ivy, also 16, is on a similar hunt for her birth mother. The connection between the two young women is no secret, yet Gilmore injects freshness into her narrative with a third type of chapter: the different possible paths their lives could take. The function of these If Only chapters is not immediately obvious, but it certainly adds a unique element to this quiet novel. Distinctly poetic in quality, Gilmore's prose and dialogue flows easily and naturally. Bridget's and Ivy's voices are extremely similar, but this serves to highlight the relationship between the two young women. Gilmore explores different aspects of adoption deftly and with empathy. The novel ends on a cliff-hanger, but one that emphasizes the two girls' realistic, deeply personal journeys rather than the destinations.--Kling, Caitlin Copyright 2010 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
the alliances we make and often break during the teenage years shape us into the people we become. The people we hang out with, friend, tag, disown, ignore, choose and long for - they will live on in our memories, etched into our sense of self for decades to come. These new novels showcase those connections in all their intensity: misunderstandings, new beginnings, friendships upended and mended, families finally found. TAHEREH MAFI'S A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA (HarperCollins, 320 pp., $18.99; ages 14 and up), her first foray into realistic fiction after her best-selling dystopian Shatter Me series and the middle grade "Furthermore" and "Whichwood," introduces the self-deprecating and strong-willed Shirin, an Iranian who, despite the hateful behavior of some of her peers, chooses to wear a hijab. Used to hiding behind her music and "don't talk to me" glare, she halts her usual nonparticipation policy when the school's golden boy takes an interest in her. Despite her best efforts, Shirin begins to fall for the earnest Ocean. In any time and place, this cross-cultural relationship might cause some concern. But the time is fall 2002 and the place is an American suburb and a high school where Shirin is new. She finds temporary distraction by joining her brother's break dancing crew, but eventually, she and Ocean take the plunge into romance, that most soughtafter teenage connection, with catastrophic results. Mafi seamlessly works in questions of identity, race and Islamophobia through hilarious dialogue at Shirin's family dinner table and break dancing practice sessions, as well as texts and instant messages. In one memorable scene, Shirin, refusing to be the woman of color educating the majority white culture about race and ethnicity, confronts a "woke" white teacher for asking her to participate in a "role play" exercise, which most likely would have ended with her being the butt of a racist joke. The novel also taps into the fierceness and passion of first love with usually elegant though sometimes maudlin and uneven writing. At times, Shirin's struggle to cut herself off from Ocean feels over the top and repetitive. But the physical connection between the two is practically palpable, and readers will be glad that despite all of the potential for a love triangle, none materializes. Mafi captures the momentum of high school scandals perfectly. The novel's bittersweet ending will ring true for most, and will break the hearts of many. nic stone, the author of the best-selling "Dear Martin," offers an unusually complicated iteration of a love triangle in odd one OUT (Crown, 320 pp., $17.99; ages 14 and up). Courtney Cooper, a star athlete, has been in love with his best friend, Jupiter CharitySanchez, since grade school. But ever since fourth grade, she's known that she likes girls. A new girl, Rae Chin, might be the one she's been waiting for. But Jupiter ends up falling for Courtney while he forges a connection with Rae over a childhood trauma, and the dynamics among the three of them change and reconfigure several times. Courtney's first-person narration of the opening section sets the novel's tone, foregrounding his concerns as a young black man being raised by a widowed mother in a mostly conservative Southern town. He is a thoughtful and sensitive narrator. Yet I was made uncomfortable at several moments by what seemed like language that veered into the lecherous. "Frankly, I really shouldn't hang out with them at all, since I tend to end up evacuating small soldiers while indulging depraved thoughts after watching them flirt with each other for hours," Courtney divulges in one scene. Rae and Jupiter, for their part, grapple with their mutual attraction, but also their growing realization that Courtney may be the true target of their feelings. The passages narrated by them are where Stone's writing soars, as each girl struggles to understand her sexual identity and whether it's as etched in stone as she once thought. The novel concludes, satisfyingly, with Jupiter's perspective, and readers finally get a sense of this flesh-and-blood teenager - not just a manic pixie girl sex object. In these chapters, declaring yourself - how you would like to be represented and whom you want to love and connect with - is treated with real tenderness. JANELLE milanes'S second Y.A. novel (after "The Victoria in My Head"), analee, in REAL LIFE (Simon Pulse, 416 pp., $17.99; ages 12 and up), dives into the contemporary question of how the connections we make in virtual worlds can help or hurt us in the "real" world. Still reeling from her mother's death from cancer, Analee Echevarria would rather inhabit her favorite online game as Kiri the night elf hunter than deal with her father's impending nuptials to a lifestyle coach and yogi, or watch her ex-best friend making out with her boyfriend. Analee starts to face her anxiety head on when she's partnered with Seb, a smoothtalking soccer star, on a science project. In a classic romantic comedy fashion that may call to mind Jenny Han's "To All the Boys I've Loved Before," the two pretend to date for mutual benefits: Seb gets to make his ex-girlfriend jealous and Analee gets to flaunt her fake relationship in front of her former best friend while getting practice for the "real" relationship she hopes to have with Harris, the gaming partner she's been crushing on but hasn't yet met in person. Milanes has created authentic characters with family issues that reflect the world we live in. Analee's conservative Cuban grandparents have a tough time understanding why their son wants to forgo the traditional wedding and make an alliance with a veggie-eating, vlogging yoga instructor. Seb covers up his difficult home situation with his life-of-the-party attitude. Analee finds it difficult to have face-to-face interactions and even to leave the house after her mother's death. There's also Analee's witty internal monologue, which will feel all too familiar to introverts: "I hesitate. I have this thing about sharing food. A spoon soaked with someone else's saliva? Mixing with the food I'm about to eat? Shudder. If Dad were here, he'd bug his eyes out at me in his silent warning. Oye. No seas extraña. Which loosely translates to 'Don't be a weirdo.' " The refreshing ending might disappoint romance fans who prefer "happily ever after" conclusions, but it stays true to Analee's journey of being able to love herself just as she is, and to reach beyond her grief to create long-lasting connections. how do you miss someone you don't remember meeting? Ivy loves the two women who have raised her, but now that she's turned 16, the same age her birth mother was when she had her, she aches to know more about the woman who gave her up. Jennifer Gilmore deftly explores layers upon layers Of "what ifs?" in IF ONLY (HarperTeen, 288pp., $17.99; ages 14 and up). The novel opens in March 2000, with Bridget, Ivy's birth mother, trying to write a letter to her future child. She has a tough decision to make - whom should she give her daughter to in an open adoption? As each possible couple comes into the picture, the subsequent chapter illuminates how Ivy's life might have turned out. This "Choose Your Own Adventure"-style narrative is adeptly constructed, with echoes of what could have been sprinkled throughout like a puzzle to solve. Readers follow both Bridget and Ivy as each struggles to decipher her identity. The story lines converge as Ivy's hunt for her birth mother leads her to New York City. The narrative pushes readers forward as long-buried secrets are revealed and the ripple effects of decisions made long ago bubble to the surface. Gilmore's writing is emotionally raw yet beautiful, touching upon some traditional Y.A. themes (adoption, teen pregnancy) with an almost mystical feel. But the heart of the story - how the decisions and connections we make inexorably touch others' lives - will echo and seep into readers' bones long after the last page. ? SHELLEY DIAZ is the Y.A. editor and reviews manager at School Library Journal
