YA Annotation: Far From the Tree by Robin Benway
A National Book Award Winner, Far From the Tree is told in alternating chapters from three, third-person perspectives of teenagers Grace, Maya, and Joaquin. All three teens are dealing with heavy issues… teen pregnancy (Grace), parental alcoholism and divorce (Maya), and the perils of living in foster care (Joaquin). Having each been given up for adoption as infants, none of them are particularly looking for their own biological families until Grace herself is faced with giving up her baby for adoption. Giving up “Peach”, as she has nicknamed the infant, is more difficult than she anticipated, and Grace starts to wonder more about her own bio mom and if she had trouble giving Grace up. This uncertainty leads Grace to find her bio siblings Maya and Joaquin and start a search for their bio mom. As their stories merge, we learn more about their current lives and adoptive/foster families. Maya struggles with her mother’s alcoholism, and Joaquin’s foster family wants to adopt him but he has been hurt by foster families in the past and is reluctant to be adopted; despite these issues neither Maya nor Joaquin are ready to meet their bio mom. Each character grows through their respective difficulties, and the story as a whole is both a realistic and, ultimately, hopeful look at teens struggling with some very tough problems.
The appeal of this YA book for adults - I chose this “genre” because I have a great deal of experience with YA literature (my “expert” pick). I have read hundreds of YA novels over the past 14 years. I chose this title because it was one that I hadn’t read yet, and it is a National Book Award Winner… this always piques my interest. I enjoy realistic fiction, and this book did not disappoint. While not stylistically exceptional (as I would consider a YA novel such as The Book Thief to be), the accessibility of the language and style mirrors the realistic issues addressed in the plot. The characters are fully developed, likable, and believable. The starred Kirkus review for this title states: “this compassionate, funny, moving, compulsively readable novel about what makes a family gets it right” (Far From the Tree by Robin Benway, 2017). I would recommend this book to ages 14 and up including adults who enjoy contemporary, realistic fiction by authors such as Jodi Picoult. Google even notes that Far From the Tree is a read-alike for fans of NBC’s This Is Us series which features a multicultural cast, adoption, and foster care.
Appeal Elements:
Pace - With a medium pace, this book takes it’s time with parts of the main plot while not feeling long or drawn out.
Tone - The tone is realistic and ultimately hopeful.
Language/Style - The language and style of this book is realistic with well-crafted dialogue. At times funny and heartwarming, Benway does an excellent job of portraying the full range of teen emotions in a realistic way. Dialogue is believable and easy to follow.
Characterization - Two out of the three main characters in the story would qualify as Strong Female Characters. The character of Joaquin is also well-developed and portrayed as likable and sympathetic. The story starts with Grace and is really driven by her desire to meet the teens’ bio mom, so she features a little more prevalently than the other two characters.
Theme - Overcoming adversity is the main theme of this novel. Coming of age mixed with family drama are also themes.
Plot/Storyline - The plot really centers around the three separate and newly intertwining family sagas of the three main characters. Issue-oriented storylines emerge quickly including adoption, teen pregnancy, foster care, and alcoholism.
Library Laura’s Top Takeaways Using Saricks’ Rule of Three:
Strong Female Character(s)
Hopeful tone
Issue-oriented
YA Read-alikes:
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr - The teen protagonist in this novel is dealing with some of the same issues that Grace in Far From the Tree is dealing with, namely moving beyond her past. (National Book Award Finalist)
We are Okay by Nina LaCour - The teen in this novel is dealing with loss and what it means to find family with those who love you much like Grace, Maya, and Joaquin. (Printz Award Winner)
References
Far From the Tree by Robin Benway. (2017, August 2). Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/robin-benway/far-from-the-tree-benway/
Saricks, J. (2009, October). Rule of Three. Booklist, 25.
The Secret Language of Books: A Guide to Appeal. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.ebscohost.com/uploads/novelist/pdf/NoveList_Appeal_2018.pdf
I came specifically to read your YA pick because I know that you have worked in YA for a long time. Thanks for the thorough review. I'm not sure it sounds like you loved the book, but it really has it's place in YA literature for YAs going through any of these situations. Interesting enough I just had a friend who used a DNA kit and it ended up finding many of the siblings her mother put up for adoption, so this isn't so far fetched of a scenario!
ReplyDeleteThanks Meredith! I appreciate that you sought out my annotation. This wasn't a book that I would consider a must-read, but it was good enough to keep me reading and had a satisfying conclusion (with a twist, which I should have alluded to in the summary). I'm not sure I consider it National Book Award level reading, honestly, but I would read more by the author. It is a timely topic, for sure!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise that this was more of a YA book when I first heard about it. It first caught my attention when I heard it recommended for people who like the show "This is Us", (my wife and I literally just finished watching an episode of that show before I opened my computer to check the comments for this class tonight) which you also mentioned in your post. I have yet to read this book, so I am curious if that comparison is accurate. Have you seen the show? From your summary, it does sound like they have similar themes and plot lines, but the show, at least in my opinion, is geared more for adults rather than teens. (Which is why I didn't realize it was YA in the first place)
ReplyDeleteHi Zach,
DeleteYes, I watch This Is Us, and I agree that this book has similar themes and would appeal to those who really like This Is Us. If you like YA already and like the show, I think you will like the book. It does a really good job of exploring the difficulties and successes of adoption especially from the teen mother point of view.
Excellent annotation! Full points! Your summary is great and I loved that you included the little tidbit, that it it s "This is Us" readalike :) Although I haven't read this book, I have read the readalikes and they seem like perfect choices. Great job!
ReplyDelete