Some Things That Stay

I have this tendency, after reading "High Fidelity" by Nick Hornby, of ranking everything. Sneaking a new book in is a tough thing. What do you drop out of your five? "Sophie's Choice?" Can't do it. "High Fidelity" itself? That's seems ironic. No. But, somehow, after finishing "Some Things That Stay," I had to weasel it in there somehow. I don't even know why I was drawn to this book. I had just picked up Sarah's new one, "The Rehearsal," and thought, with only two books to her credit, I might as well read them in order. What unfolded, in "Some Things That Stay," was a beautiful coming-of-age story. The beauty of it, for me, was that it was told in a sparse, Hemingwayesque style. There couldn't have been more than one hundred sentences that contained more than two commas. But, there, in it's simplicity, was warmth, humor, and observation so keen, it took my breath away. The tale was one of an odd family. A family that moved. And with the moving came coping. Each family member accomplished that a bit differently. But, the story is anchored by its strong female lead, letting life flow over her as she experienced the first pangs of sexual experimentation, the loss of her mother's ability to live with them because of health, and her anger toward her father. The main theme is a univeral one. How do we deal with loss? It is explored in many ways with various characters and subplots. Finally, it is a book you will close at the end and say to yourself, Who can I give this to? Who can I grant this discovery to? A new author! A wonderful story! Now, which book is getting the bump? I've gotta figure this out. . .

The truth of the matter is that Sarah Willis' "Some ThingsThat Stay" should be rated much higher than five stars. It isone of the most powerful and affecting works of fiction I have read inrecent years. Thematically rich, with characters who are so real youimagine them sitting with you as you read, the novel literallyembraces us with the almost desperate ambivalence and profoundemotional tensions the compelling protagonist, Tamara Anderson, feels.That this is Ms. Willis' first novel makes the achievement all themore stunning. Rest assured, this work will find its way on therequired reading lists of both secondary and university readinglists.In a seamless fashion, Sarah Willis has managed to convey thelife of an anachronistic family in the mid-1950s with accuracy andempathy. In an era which celebrated conventional nuclear families,the Andersons are peripatetic wanderers, the journeys fueled by afather whose need for fresh landscapes to fuel his painting requiresthe family to move from house to house each spring. Indeed,Ms. Willis explores the definitions of family and home throughout,both in her evocation of place and her contrasting the Andersons withtheir cross-street neighbors. These neighbors, whosereligion-centered lives contrast with the rational/scientific mind ofTamara's mother, provide both ballast and turmoil to Tamara'sworld-views.In addition to the author's sensitive treatment of theaforementioned themes, she is at her very best in dealing with thewrenching illness of Tamara's mother and the protagonist's discoveryof her own body and growing awareness of herself as a sexual being.The descriptions of Tamara and her partner-in-discovery, Rusty, arealone worth the reading of the novel. Ms. Willis poses many seriousquestions: What is the best way for a family to handle medicaltragedy? What responsibility to parents have in guiding theirchildren? How do children accept the loss of a parent? What is themeaning of "home" in the life of a family? What is thenature of belief?It is my hope to meet the author some day and topersonally thank her for this work. Sarah Willis will emerge as oneof our nation's most eloquent and wise interpreters; I anxiously awaither next novel.

You can read what this book is about from the other reviews. All I want to say is that every single page of this novel was precious and so beautifully written. I had to draw my breath in with every page I turned because I could not believe that every word this woman wrote was so filled with humor and understanding for her characters. It amazes me how many fabulous writers are out there, just waiting to be discovered, and Ms. Willis is definitely one of those. I envy her talent and wish her every success. Highly, highly recommended. Enjoy!

Fourteen year old Tamara has lived in a different house every year, with only her parents and her brothers as constants. Lying in bed in a room in a farmhouse where a year before a boy has died of leukemia she thinks about how heartbroken that boy's parents (and her family's current landlords) seem. Describing her parent's marriage, she says, "I try to imagine my parents without us kids. I can." I love this story of a girl who feels wild and honest. Sarah Willis writes with poetry and clarity. She cuts to the bones of feeling.