Walk Me Home - Catherine Ryan Hyde

This moving story had me intrigued and asking questions straight away; who are Carly and Jen, why are they walking such a long way, just the two of them, so young? What has happened? Who is Teddy and why is Carly so determined that he is the one to help them?

Sisters Carly, 16, and Jen, 12, have set off from New Mexico and are trying to get to Teddy in California. They soon become hungry and tired, and it becomes increasingly difficult for them to continue and to stay safe and not risk it being discovered that they are on the run alone together; the threat of being taken in by the authorities and potentially separated keeps them walking and reluctant to reveal the reality of their situation to anyone. 

Then the novel takes a step back further in time, a few months earlier, and we meet Teddy, their mother's ex-boyfriend, and we meet the girls' mother, and their recent past slowly reveals itself. The sisters have had a difficult, unsettled childhood and experienced much disappointment; and now their world has been turned upside down. They travel so many miles, struggling along together, desperate and starving at times, and as I read, I feared for them, but I was also heartened by the kindnesses that they encountered from people too. 

It is primarily Carly whose thoughts we follow, and it's a very emotional as well as physical endurance test that she goes through on her journey. It is very clear that she has lost her trust in others and lost her belief in her self, and her self worth; she has convinced herself that she doesn't matter and that 'everyone likes Jen better'.  As I read, I willed things to change for the better for Carly because she had been so strong, I didn't blame her for having lost trust in people because of her past treatment, but she needed to take the risk of trusting again; the story illustrates how sometimes we have a new, unexpected chance for happiness in life and it is the ability to let go of fear and accept this chance, to take the risk of trusting again, that we need. This was such an important theme running through this story; who can the girls trust and believe in, who has their real interests and welfare at heart, who isn't all that they seem to be, and who cares more than they realise. 

I've really enjoyed novels by Catherine Ryan Hyde in the past and I found in this new book the same warm-hearted and honest portrayal of people who find themselves facing the challenge of coping with huge difficulties and setbacks in their lives that I have admired before. She creates rounded characters, and the relationships they share feel very real; I cared about the sisters. The author has sensitively and thoughtfully incorporated a little of Native American culture into this story, and created two special characters in particular that I would love to meet. The sense of place was well conveyed, and this setting was important too, the intense heat of the desert landscape adding to the struggle as the girls were walking. 

I liked the author’s note at the end of the book that clarified an aspect of the story that I had wondered about whilst reading. I think this novel would be really enjoyed by young adult and adult readers. 

I felt this was an engrossing, well-paced story about being honest with yourself and having to admit to the truth, and learning to accept kindness from unexpected places. It is about loss, loyalty, truth, courage, and the hard decisions people have to make, the strength we have to find sometimes even when we are only a young age.  

Published by Black Swan, July 18th 2013

Thanks very much to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance ebook copy of this novel via netgalley. 

You can visit the author's website here find her on facebook here or follow her on twitter @cryanhyde

When You Were Older - Catherine Ryan Hyde

I loved this story. It’s a wonderful, beautifully written tale. I found it compelling from start to finish, and read it very quickly as I couldn’t bear to wait to discover what happened. The author has created some lovely characters in Russell and Anat. September 11^th 2001 changed many lives. Russell was running late for work at the advertising firm where he was employed, on the 104^th floor of the World Trade Centre, New York. Just as he was leaving his apartment, the telephone rang, and after debating it he decided to answer. Upon finding out that his mother has suddenly passed away, and with her gone his brother Ben now has no one but Russell as a carer, he never goes in to work that day. And because of receiving this tragic news in that split second, he lives.

He faces a long journey – with no flights because of the terrible events in NYC – hitch hiking his way back to Norville, Kansas, the place he regards as and refers to as ‘Nowhere-ville’, and thought he had escaped for good when he left six years ago aged eighteen. He can’t bring himself to think of it as home anymore. The reactions from the various people he meets on his journey home give us an initial feeling of the shock and response by the man on the street to the enormous events in New York. Further reaction will be evident when Russell arrives home. Everyone in Norville knew Russell as Rusty, and they all know and love his brother Ben, who, although older than Russell, is not capable of living alone, and is reliant on extensive support in his everyday tasks such as getting to his job as a bag packer at the grocery store in the town, getting to bed and up on time. (His dependence is due to an incident which is described in the novel, which I won’t spoil here.)

The bulk of the novel is concerned with what happens when Russell is back where he grew up, and how he will possibly come to terms with, and move forward with his life as it is now. He finds himself drawn to the local bakery, run by a young woman named Anat and her father Nazir, and Russell forms a friendship and demonstrates a kindness towards them during a time of unease and unwarranted prejudice shown by some in the town. A few old acquaintances from his school days are now setting off to fight in Afghanistan. Russell has little in common with these men anymore, but despite his feelings about a war, he wishes them well.

Russell has to deal with an enormous amount of stress; he has suddenly lost his mother, he finds himself as sole carer for his brother Ben, he has lost his job and all his colleagues at the advertising firm bar one other survivor, in an incident that he witnessed first-hand from the window of his apartment, and he is back in the small town he thought he had left for good. On top of this, he develops a friendship that causes others to judge him harshly, and feels he may be falling in love, but none of it will be easy.

This is a lovely read. The confusion, challenges and stress that Russell faces are very well detailed and effectively portrayed. The first person narration means we see right to the heart of the matters in hand through Russell’s eyes; the pain, the struggles, the hope. He is a remarkable character, he has some impossible things to deal with but that is how life can be, and I liked that. At times he is close to breaking but he keeps going. In fact to me the characters are all so well realised that I could picture them. In my mind I could see Russell and Anat in the bakery chatting over doughnuts, getting to know one other, being a friend to each other. Additionally the author perceptively illustrates how enormous events in the world can filter down and influence and affect one small town and its population in various ways. My favourite novel yet by this author!

5/5

Published in the UK by Doubleday on 29 March 2012.