Synopses & Reviews
A mother seeks freedom for her young son—and rediscovers her own need for it in the process—in this powerful novel about family, identity, and loveOnce a painter, a traveler, a lover of light, Anna Simon has been living in the dark ever since she gave birth to Max, a child with a rare genetic disease for whom even an hour in sunlight could prove fatal. For years, Anna has home schooled Max and structured her life around his, despite the fact that her husband, Ian, favors mainstreaming. When Anna learns of a camp in upstate New York for children with the disease, she sees room for a compromise—a sanctuary for Max, a place where he can interact with other children and be both safe and free.
And so the summer that Max is nine, the family heads off to Camp Luna. At first, it seems like the answer to their problems. But as Anna is drawn into life there and gets to know Hal, the camps charismatic founder, freedom and safety prove to be complicated things. What begins as a novel about a mother with a sick child quickly becomes an intricate examination of one womans identity as Anna—given sudden breathing room—looks around at her life and finds that she has lost track of essential pieces of herself. What, exactly, are safety and freedom? And at what cost—to ones self and the people in ones life—should they be protected and pursued?
Beautifully written, emotionally wrenching, Awake showcases the strengths of Elizabeth Gravers acclaimed previous novel, The Honey Thief, the focus shifting from childhood to adulthood, to limn the passions and intricacies of a womans mind and heart.
Review
Elizabeth Graver has an astonishing ability to imagine her way deep inside her characters, illuminating complex lives and situations. This is a passionate, deeply engaging novel.” —Andrea Barrett
"Graver's sublimely honest first-person narrative powerfully imparts Anna's confusion with empathic sensitivity." —Booklist
“A beautifully constructed tribute to self-sacrificing parenting that segues into a clear-eyed anatomy of the inevitable destructive power of infidelity.”
—starred Library Journal
"Gracefully written and emotionally rich...Gravers lyrical portrait of a thoughtful woman in crisis will resonate with many readers." —Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
A mother seeks freedom for her young son with a rare genetic disease--and rediscovers her own need for it in the process--in this powerful novel about family, identity, and love.
About the Author
Elizabeth Graver is the author of
Unravelling and
The Honey Thief, both of which were
New York Times Notable Books. Her work has been included in
Best American Short Stories and
Best American Essays, as well as in
Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards. She lives in Massachusetts and teaches at Boston College.