Book review: Everything We Ever Wanted: A Novel by Sara Shepard

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 19, 2011 . 10:58PM

Lately, it seems like the books I’ve been given to review contain a cast of unlikable characters who are riddled with flaws in an attempt to be dynamic and real and the bottom line is that I often read for escape and isn’t life hard enough? In Everything We Ever Wanted: A Novel by Sara Shepard, we are given a brief glance into the life of the Bates-McAllister family and I’m not sure I could take much more than a glance. People have problems and in no small amount and the people you might believe have the fewest might be hiding the most.

The Bates-McAllister family has recently lost their patriach, James, in an unexpected way. Their matriach, Sylvie, feels the weight of the world upon her as she comes to grips with the person she thinks James has been throughout their marriage and the secrets that are now being shared about him in his death. In the novel, she learns that the people you surround yourself with are not necessarily your friends and the family that you choose to shun just might be those that save you.

We are also introduced to Charles, James and Sylvie’s biological son, and his wife, Joanna. The book reveals that their relationship began tattered and has continued to shred with both looking back on the life they had before one another and the life that might have been had they not chosen one another. The secrets they have kept from each other threaten to tear the marriage apart and their saga was of the few parts of the story that left me vaguely unsettled. The end of the novel left loose ends where they were concerned and it seemed like they were glossed over to address Sylvie and her ability to move forward in life and how Scott progressed.

Scott is the inevitable center of the novel, though the premise of the novel is supposed to be the family. Scott is the adopted son of the family, a mixed-race child who has brought grief to the family since they adopted him at 18-months. In a stunning turn of events, it may be Scott that has the most heart and love and concern for his family members as each of their true motivations is revealed.

I’m still not sure I found a likable character in the bunch and the ending of the story still left me confused as to what was happening and why I should care for these people, however, sometimes you just have to enjoy the journey. I felt like the ending was rushed and thrown together, but the novel moved at a rapid pace until that point and I enjoyed reading it. There was just enough suspense throughout the book to keep me interested and I kept hoping for some redemption. This is another novel that highlights that, at times, people are highly unlikable in bad circumstances but can persevere with hope.

If you prefer a tightly bound ending that answers all your questions, this book won’t work for you. If you are alright with some ambiguity, give it a try.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free to review it. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my opinions with others.