I am not actually sure if anyone else actually read this book. If you haven't yet, I would highly recommend it. Admittedly, I haven't tackled The Glass Castle yet, but I still plan to.
Back to the book at hand...I was enthralled by this book from the very beginning. It is so dramatic I don't know how you couldn't be drawn in by it. I was talking to a lady I work with about it, since she has also read the book (and actually loaned it to me so that I could read it), and I had to convince myself that it was a different time, and Doctor Henry really believed what he was doing was right. But honestly, how can you throw away your baby!? I mean really! Then you see how he dealt with the pain and reality of his choice for the rest of his life. I can't even imagine how hard that would be to handle. What a blow that would be to your self worth, when everyday you have to wake up and think, "I will never know my child...and it is all my fault." I can totally understand why he struggled. In the end, I actually felt very bad for him. As I got to know him and saw how calculated everything he did was, how precise (the surgery, the photography, etc.), I realized that his original decision probably held that much weight as well.
Honestly, I really disliked Norah. She was whiney and selfish. I can understand and sympathize with the depression that would come after losing a child. I mean, hello, if anyone understands depression, it is me. I have to be honest, when I first got married, I had some of the same fears she did about not realizing her dreams or being her own person. I think you really prove yourself as a person when you decide what to do with those fears and how you respond to hardship. I personally think she failed the test. I thought she was annoying, but I really started to hate her when she had the first affair. I just think that is a cop out. I don't believe she ever cared about anybody but herself.
I just have to make a comment about Paul while I am on the topic of the Henry family. And I suppose I should preface this comment with the fact that I grew up with parents that were (and are) completely in love and never fight, so maybe I just don't understand, but really, stop feeling sorry for yourself! He just reminded me of every bratty kid I have worked with. Get over yourself!
As for the story of Caroline, Phoebe, and Al...I loved it. I loved them. Caroline is obviously the hero of the story. She is the woman we should hope to be. I loved the idea that certain moments and people in our life can dictate the direction we go. In the beginning I felt like screaming at her, "Just tell her! You have to tell her that you have her baby!!!" But at the same time I was so proud of her. I was glad that she finally came clean in the end.
For me this is one of those books that you finish and say, "Wow...the scary part is, that could actually happen."
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