The Invisibles
A Novel
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4.2 • 9 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
In the vein of Meg Donohue and Jennifer Close, comes Cecilia Galante’s adult debut about the complicated and powerful bonds of female friendship—a compelling, moving novel that is told in both the present and the past.
Thrown together by chance as teenagers at Turning Winds Home for Girls, Nora, Ozzie, Monica, and Grace quickly bond over their troubled pasts and form their own family which they dub The Invisibles. But when tragedy strikes after graduation, Nora is left to deal with the horrifying aftermath alone as the other three girls leave home and don’t look back.
Fourteen years later, Nora is living a quiet, single life working in the local library. She is content to focus on her collection of “first lines” (her favorite opening lines from novels) and her dog, Alice Walker, when out-of-the-blue Ozzie calls her on her thirty-second birthday. But after all these years, Ozzie hasn’t called her to wish a happy birthday. Instead, she tells Nora that Grace attempted suicide and is pleading for The Invisibles to convene again. Nora is torn: she is thrilled at the thought of being in touch with her friends, and yet she is hesitant at seeing these women after such a long and silent period of time. Bolstered by her friends at the library, Nora joins The Invisibles in Chicago for a reunion that sets off an extraordinary chain of events that will change each of their lives forever.
The Invisibles is an unforgettable novel that asks the questions: How much of our pasts define our present selves? And what does it take to let go of some of our most painful wounds and move on?
Customer Reviews
A wonderful read that will keep you engaged and intrigued.
People come together and form friendships for all sorts of reasons, and often being in a terrible circumstance together builds a connection that is rock solid. Such is the case for Monica, Ozzie Nora and Grace, friends since their teens, while their lives never quite seemed to ‘work out’ there is support and comfort in their unbreakable friendship.
There is not a real introduction into this story: you jump right into the action, and background information and secrets are revealed through flashbacks and from current interactions. Each character comes with a unique set of issues, some from their traumatic past, others from mistakes that seem to be as a result of it, and the reveal of these issues is slowly doled out in drops, bite by bite. For this is a story to be savored, you wonder what issues are because of their pasts and what they have overcome in spite of it. Emotionally available, the women are intriguing and interesting.
Primarily, this is a work that celebrates friendship and survival as these women are struggling to move forward in their lives, knowing that the other three will always be there. Far from their troubles and time disrupting their friendship, their bonds remain strong as they confront the ultimate question: how much does trauma and adversity you faced as a child impact your adult life, and can you ever move beyond the problems. A wonderful read that will keep you engaged and intrigued.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Hold on
This story just jumps right into the friendships of the four girls: Monica, Nora, Grace & Ozzie. We read mostly about Nora and where she is later, after the others have gone on. She suddenly hears from the group of girls wanting to get together.
Nora is just trying to live her life in her own way. Now with the girls asking to get back together after so long - and with no warning - since none of them have been in touch in so many years. Should she give them a chance?
If a reunion in Chicago is a way to face the past...can these 4 women put to bed the old pain and fears? Can Nora forgive and move on? Will it tear them all apart?
I was kind of humbled by the simple and yet profound way the author approached the topic. Highly unusual for a story to take this direction and it works, somehow.
***This ARC was given by Edelweiss and its publisher for an honest review.