The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson has a heart-ache beginning. It's a love story between Ella and Joe, however, one morning as Joe is on an oceanside cliff, Ella is told he drowned. Imagine that news in itself, then remember in the grief that you have two very small children to raise on her own, since their mother, Paige, abandoned them. At Joe's funeral, Paige returns and the story becomes more like a spider's web.
A few months ago, my aunt passed away. Her son is in his 30s and while my cousin wasn't small there is still tremendous grief. I cannot imagine the amplification of this grief for a small child, much less if the event had been sudden with no illness to prelude conversations.
It was easy to place myself in Ella's shoes. I could feel her stutter on decisions and weigh them as The Underside of Joy's pages turned.
While I have never given a child up for
adoption, I have known women who have as well as women who have raised adopted children as their own. I understand the choices and decisions a birth mother must make as well as the choices and decisions being an adopting mother lend. I think both parties go through roller coasters of emotions and both make incredible sacrifices of motherhood. I also know that both love the same child as only a mother can.
I've always believed that we do the best we can, with what we have at that particular time. Sometimes others judge and question our reasoning, but in the end only we know the course that we must choose to grow, to be, to look back and still know ourselves. Halverson captures this in both Paige and Ella's characters.
Halverson writes with descriptive flair. I especially loved the immersion into Northern California and the wine country. It was written as if I could see it with my own eyes. There is a familiarity in the landscape and of the seduction of small town life. It brought forward my own memories as I read. As an added bonus to the story line, Halverson writes with true-life historical details. The story comes to life through the historical backdrop.
I enjoyed the book. Some of it was predictable, but sometimes life is like that too; don't you agree? I enjoyed the journey of these two women, as they discovered themselves through loss, through secrets and, at times, regret.
Take a moment to learn more about the woman behind this book with 7 Questions with Sere Prince Halverson and feel free to connect with her through these social media sites:
*I received The Underside of Joy in order to facilitate an honest review. The opinions, where expressed, are my own and were in no way influenced by the sponsor. Others experiences may vary.
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