Genre: Domestic fiction
I love a book with a difficult, awkward, heart-wrenching conundrum. This is one of these books and SO much more. A mother wants the best for her autistic son but when it comes to the world of relationships, she's in a bind over how she can best support him. What ensues is nothing like how I imagined this story would unfold. Beautifully played out from multiple perspectives, this is a story of life, love and the unexpected. Reading the author's website, I've learnt that the premise of the book comes from real life; one of the author's friends and her son, who gave the author their blessing to explore their story. It's really one of those books that will make you question what you think and will stay with you.
Synopsis
Sebastian James Murphy is twenty years, six months and two days old. He loves swimming, fried eggs and Billy Ocean. Sebastian is autistic. And lonely.
Veronica wants her son Sebastian to be happy … she wants the world to accept him for who he is. She is also thinking about paying a professional to give him what he desperately wants.
Violetta is a high-class escort, who steps out into the night thinking only of money. Of her nursing degree. Paying for her dad’s care. Getting through the dark.
When these three lives collide – intertwine in unexpected ways – everything changes. For everyone.
My thoughts
In this book the author explores just how easily we make assumptions about people based on just a few facts. Even when those people are our own family and you think you know them inside out. The author unravels the layers of the characters brilliantly and in such a way that makes you realise that people are nothing like what we assume them to be. We're all different, we're all unexpected, we can all make meaningful decisions and we all value the truth.
I devoured this book in just a few sittings. I was surprised by the unexpected turns and twists in what I thought would be a more straight-forward story. Upon reflection, a story like this one could never be straight-forward! Wholly unforgettable, this is a wonderful reminder of the uniqueness of all people and above all, as the title says, about how we are all human.
About the author
You can read a wonderful few paragraphs about the author and her work on her website here.
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