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Summary
Summary
From the acclaimed author of A Good Distanceand Some Things That Stay, a thoughtful and compelling new novel. Alice Marlowe accepts her life the way it is. She is single, in her late forties, lives with a cat named Sampson, and has imaginary conversations with her dead twin brother. As a sign-language interpreter for the deaf, she is used to standing between people, facilitating their conversations with each other. But then a late-night phone call brings a beautiful, scared six-year-old girl into her life. And seeing herself through a child's eyes for the first time, she discovers that love is a universal language.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Willis (A Good Distance) gracefully explores the world of foster care through the eyes of 48-year-old Alice Marlowe, an interpreter for the deaf living a lonely life in Cleveland. When Alice receives a late-night phone call from a six-year-old girl whose mother has disappeared, the last thing she expects to do is apply to become her foster parent, but one look at beautiful, dark-skinned Larissa Benton changes everything. Alice's maternal impulse surprises her-"How did this child and I become us?" she wonders-as she attends foster parenting classes and wonders if she can cope. Willis allows for ambiguity in her moving story: when Michelle, Larissa's white, wayward mother, returns, she's neither a villain nor a victim; Alice, who converses with her dead twin brother, is not a saint. When Michelle moves into Alice's home to be closer to her daughter, the narrative reaches its height of tension; Willis shows both the safety and generosity of Alice's world and the unpredictable but loving home that Michelle would provide. A careful, tender story of the complex bonds of motherhood, this novel doesn't shy away from its problems, but still comes to rest on the side of its wonders. Agent, Christy Fletcher. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal Review
One hot morning in July, the phone rings a little after 2 a.m., waking Alice Marlowe from a sound sleep and changing her life forever. At the other end is six-year-old Larissa, who has misdialed. Her wayward mother, meanwhile, is job hunting in another city and thinks that Aunt Teya is looking after her daughter, who has been left alone for over 19 hours. Instead of calling the police immediately, Alice goes to the apartment to see if she can help. When the police do arrive, all Alice knows is that she can't walk away. A sign-language interpreter who has never married, Alice leads a quiet life and has never considered becoming a foster mother, but something about Larissa strikes a chord. In addition, Alice is especially bereft after the loss of her twin brother in a car accident; could the phone call in the middle of the night really be fate? Willis (A Good Distance) has written a wonderfully moving book about a woman and a child who bond despite terrific odds. The characters are vivid and real, and readers will become engrossed in their lives. Recommended for public libraries.-Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
