The Kindness of Strangers
Author(s):
Katrina Kittle
Label: Harper Perennial
Publisher(s):
Harper Perennial
Studio: Harper Perennial
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
Binding: Paperback
Format(s): Bargain Price
List Price: $14.95
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Editorial Reviews
Product Description
A young widow raising two boys, Sarah Laden is struggling to keep her family together. But when a shocking revelation rips apart the family of her closest friend, Sarah finds herself welcoming yet another troubled young boy into her already tumultuous life.
Jordan, a quiet, reclusive elementary school classmate of Sarah's son Danny, has survived a terrible ordeal. By agreeing to become Jordan's foster mother, Sarah will be forced to question the things she has long believed. And as the delicate threads that bind their family begin to unravel, all the Ladens will have to face difficult truths about themselves and one another?and discover the power of love necessary to forgive and to heal.
Customer Reviews
moving, unforgettable story
At the beginning, nothing in "The Kindness of Strangers" is a premonition of horrible events the novel describes. The introductory chapter describes preparations for a wedding, and Danny, present in the kitchen, where his mother makes the last preparations for the cake, looks at his family and remembers the one particular summer that changed theire lives forever, haunting them even twelve years later.
The first chapter of the story proper starts when Sarah Laden, a young widow and mother of two boys, Nate and Danny, finds a chick embryo in an egg she wanted to use in an omelette. Next, she is pecked by a mother robin defending her nest. This beginning fills the reader with a sense of menace... The day unfolds in a most unpredictable way, starting a chain of events which would lead to Sarah losing her best friend and getting a new son, Jordan, and learning the most horrible truths about human nature.
There are novels, which are literary art in themselves, beautiful in form, innovative in structure, or with an original storyline. Then, there are novels with an agenda. "The Kindness of Strangers", undoubtedly, belongs to the second category. The weighty topic, child abuse, is explored here. The novel is not written in a particularly artful way, nor is the plot very inventive, but the whole story is so moving, visceral and emotionally draining, that it stayed with me till now and will be one of the stories I will not be able to forget. The imagery is suggestive, crude even; I would argue that the repetititive "goose bumps down somebody's spine" are not the example of the greatest prose, if these goose bumps did not go down my spine while I was reading this novel. I was only glad it was not a movie, although it would be a great film material. I think Katrina Kittle managed to get her very important message across in the best way imaginable.
Amazing
Definitely the best book I've read this year. Haunting and hopeful at the same time. Quite an accomplishement. I really loved this book.
loved this book
The subject matter is quite disturbing but if you can get past that, this book is very well written and opens your eyes to things that could be happening right next door.
Kindness and streetcars
Kittle takes on a very difficult topic here -- the incestuous sexual abuse of children -- and does a fairly good job with it The story itself was compelling, and, for hte most part, the main characters were well drawn, although I would have liked to read more about Danny's character and motivations; mostly he just feels like a 2 dimensional character thrown in for plot purposes. The 'reveal" at the end does fill in some gaps on the character portrayal, but it comes a bit late.I did, however, enjoy looking for the parallels between The Kindness of Strangers and the Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire, the main one being, I suppose, that we depend on the kindness of others to overlook our flaws and sins to help us keep our social facades in place. "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." is a very famous line from Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire. The line is spoken by Blanche Dubois as she is led away to the mental institution to which Stanley has committed her (her breakdown being caused by Stanley raping her).Throughout Streetcar, Blanche puts up a grand facade, clinging to her mask of "Southern Belle" and hiding the fact that she is an alcoholic and that she has been fired from her teaching job because she had an affair with a 17 year old student. Her marriage has also been broken up due to her husband's having a homosexual affair -- her discovery of which leads to his suicide (in the play at least, it was glossed over in the movie). In the play, Blanche creates the self that she wants others to see through her words, jsut as Courtney does in the book, by telling people what she knows they want to hear. Both rely on our impulse to see the best in others in order to create the selves they the public to perceive and to make themselves less "guilty" in their own eyes.
Can't Put This One Down
I read this about a year ago, but have since recommended it to many other people who all proceeded to add their names to Katrina Kittle's (the author's) mailing list so that they would be updated about her upcoming books. This is pretty much THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ! It is surprising, shocking, and most of all emotionally moving. You feel for every character. To all those who think the book is too graphic- it is realistic. It does not glamorize the subject but portrays it as the true tragedy it is. Do not let yourself believe these things don't happen. They do. From every item you read about a topic, fictional or non, you learn something. Allow this book to make you one tiny bit more aware that these things are real, that there are signs and indications, and remain vigilant. A great read!
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