When You Never Said Goodbye
An Adoptee's Search for Her Birth Mother: A Novel in Poems and Journal Entries
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Against the odds, eighteen-year-old Liz McLane, adoptee and aspiring poet, searches for her birth mother in this sensitive and daring novel told through her own accessible and moving poems and journal entries.
A student at NYU in Greenwich Village, Liz McLane is pursuing her dream of becoming a poet and, at the same time, determined to find her birth mother, no matter what the results may be. Through her journals, Liz records her struggle to navigate adoption bureaucracy and laws. In spare and poignant poems, she confides her fears and her prayers. Could her birth mother be the unknown guitarist in Washington Square Park, who sings a soulful song in a strangely familiar voice? Against a backdrop of college life—classes on Alice Munro and Billy Collins and an active social life—and with the help of her sister, friends, and a private investigator, Liz summons the courage to face the truth about her mother and herself.
This is an unforgettable novel full of heart that addresses the primary questions all adoptees must answer for themselves: who was the woman who gave me life, and why did she decide to give me away? Based on author Meg Kearney’s own experiences.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Eighteen-year-old Liz McLane transferred to New York University to pursue her dreams of becoming a poet and discovering her birth mother's identity. She quickly bonds with her roommate and finds inspiration in her classes, but her investigation into her mother causes tension in her relationships with her family and boyfriend. She's also drawn to a guitar player in Washington Square Park could this woman be connected to Liz's search? Through journal entries and varied styles of poems, Kearney sensitively conveys Liz's journey of discovery; the answer she's been seeking, though unexpected, brings her peace of mind. This isn't the first book Kearney has written about Liz (who also appeared in The Secret of Me and The Girl in the Mirror), and while knowledge of those books isn't required, readers unfamiliar with them may find it difficult to feel much connection to anyone in Liz's orbit, other than her new classmates. Back matter includes the story behind the novel (partly inspired by the author's adoption), notes about the poems and music within, and the lyrics to the title song, which Kearney wrote. Ages 14 up.
