Synopses & Reviews
A Theory of Relativity
Jacquelyn Mitchard's firs novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, launched Oprah's Book Club and riveted millions of readers across the country.In her unforgettable voice, Ms. Mitchard delivered a tense, gripping story steeped in the perils and redemptive powers of family love.Now, with A Theory of Relativity, comes her most compelling and beautifully written novel to date.
Gordon McKenna -- at age twenty-four -- thinks he's already heard the worst news his life will ever deliver when he learns that his only sister, Georgia, is fatally ill.But then, Georgia and her husband die in a car accident, leaving behind their baby daughter, Keefer.Gordon and his parents are able to survive their sorrow only by devoting themselves heart and soul tot the care of the beloved one-year old.
Yet, the decision of who will raise Keefer -- and how -- is far from over.Gordon's most basic assumptions about the security and identity of his family will be threatened in ways so provocative that the McKennas will be driven first to disbelief and then to outrage.Their ordeal will test the limits of love within a closely knit family again and again, challenging even love's ultimate capacity to heal.
Review
"When real life inspires fiction, an authentic and convincing voice is often the happy result. Here Mitchard draws on her own experience as an adoptive parent and as a one-time participant in a custody suit to produce gripping fiction on a par with her Oprah pick, The Deep End of the Ocean. Once again, she excels in rendering domestic scenes and family relationships while providing a suspenseful story that tugs at the heartstrings....After the disappointment of her second novel, The Most Wanted, Mitchard hits her stride again in this bound-to-be bestseller. The circumstances of her own life as a widow with five adopted children, the popularity of her syndicated newspaper column, and the recent movie version of The Deep End of the Ocean will be factors in a fast take-off." Publisher's Weekly
Review
"The author of Oprah's first pick (The Deep End of the Ocean, 1996, etc.) returns, this time with a repetitive and tedious examination of a custody battle....The familiar theme of selfishness in child custody cases gets ample play here....Mitchard does well with characters: the charming, slightly irresponsible Gordon, the tightly wound Nyes, even the wild Georgia (in flashbacks) all come to life on the page. Here, however, her story depends too much on the adoption outcome and becomes mired in the sorrow, thick as molasses, that results from the waiting. It takes much too long to get to the admittedly touching surprise end, narrated by nine-year-old Keefer. Mediocre fare, on balance, despite the few tears won at the close." Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Few are her equal in illuminating the personal stake we all have in the daily business of living.” People
Review
“Deft . . . complex . . . a powerful tale of a shattering custody battle.” Us Weekly
Review
"Mitchard . . . brings literary finesse, wisdom, and deep emotion to this believable and remarkably involving tale." Booklist
Synopsis
Jacquelyn Mitchard's first novel,
The Deep End of the Ocean, launched the Oprah's Book Club and riveted millions of readers across the country. Now comes
A Theory of Relativity, Mitchard's most compelling and beautifully written novel yet.
At twenty-four, Gordon McKenna thinks he's already heard the worst news of his life when he learns that his sister Georgia is fatally ill. Then Georgia and her husband die in a car accident, leaving behind their baby daughter, Keefer. Gordon and his parents are able to survive their sorrow only by devoting themselves to the care of the beloved one-year-old.
But the decision of who will raise Keefer is far from over, and soon Gordon's most basic assumptions about his family will be challenged in ways so provocative that he will be driven to disbelief and then to outrage. The ordeal will test the bonds of this closely knit family, challenging even love's ultimate capacity to heal.
Synopsis
In this striking novel by the author of "The Deep End of the Ocean", Mitchard tells the story of an ordinary family pushed to the edge over the guardianship of a baby girl. The legal tug-of-war ultimately becomes a crucible in which the limitations of family love will be repeatedly tested and the frontiers of the human heart pushed to unimagined limits.
Synopsis
“[An] astonishing pleasure.”
—Seattle Times
“A graceful, moving, and compelling novel. Jacquelyn Mitchard at her finest.”
—Scott Turow, author of Innocent
A poignant and unforgettable novel from Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of the monumental New York Times bestsellers The Deep End of the Ocean and The Most Wanted, A Theory of Relativity is a powerful tale that explores the emotional dynamics and dramas of two families fighting for custody of a young child. The very first author selected by the Oprah Book Club, Mitchard is a matchless, wise, and warm chronicler of families and their human foibles—and A Theory of Relativity is contemporary womens fiction at its best, a must-read for fans of Sue Miller, Jane Hamilton, and Elizabeth Berg.
About the Author
Jacquelyn Mitchard is the New York Times best-selling author of Twelve Times Blessed, A Theory of Relativity, The Deep End of the Ocean, and The Most Wanted. Jackie is widely acclaimed for her literary achievements, but until now, few people have been aware that she is also a trusted one -- a human who has been welcomed into mouse society. It is a great honor previously bestowed on the likes of E. B. White, Benjamin Franklin, and Marie Curie. Jackie became a trusted one while still in high school by rescuing an entire family of mice from the depths of a trombone just before a performance of The Music Man. She has enjoyed the company of mice ever since, and with starring prima!, she finally realizes a long-held ambition to share her insights into mouse culture with her fellow humans. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and six children.