A review by applej314
Away by Amy Bloom
4.0
It's hard to know how to rate this. It was very interesting, very engaging, and I loved the way that Bloom followed up with each minor character and tied up the threads. I also liked the "twist" (not really a twist but still) at the end. It made the whole book feel more grounded.
At the same time, I had a very hard time getting into Lillian's head. She doesn't seem to feel very much at all--which admittedly could be explained by her history. Things just sort of happen to her, and we as the reader don't really know how she feels about them.
I also wish that Lillian's Jewish identity had factored in more clearly--obviously antisemitism was a huge force in her life, but there's almost no mention of any kind of religion, which seems a bit incongruous with my admittedly limited knowledge of the towns like the one she came from.
At the same time, I had a very hard time getting into Lillian's head. She doesn't seem to feel very much at all--which admittedly could be explained by her history. Things just sort of happen to her, and we as the reader don't really know how she feels about them.
I also wish that Lillian's Jewish identity had factored in more clearly--obviously antisemitism was a huge force in her life, but there's almost no mention of any kind of religion, which seems a bit incongruous with my admittedly limited knowledge of the towns like the one she came from.