BOOK REVIEW: The Same Sky

This is a book review of The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward. I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Alice and her husband, Jake, own a barbecue restaurant in Austin, Texas. Hardworking and popular in their community, they have a loving marriage and thriving business, but Alice still feels that something is missing, lying just beyond reach. Carla is a strong-willed young girl who’s had to grow up fast, acting as caretaker to her six-year-old brother Junior. Years ago, her mother left the family behind in Honduras to make the arduous, illegal journey to Texas. But when Carla’s grandmother dies and violence in the city escalates, Carla takes fate into her own hands—and with Junior, she joins the thousands of children making their way across Mexico to America, facing great peril for the chance at a better life. In this novel, the lives of Alice and Carla will intersect in a profound and surprising way. 

I am going to start with what I liked about the book: any chapter where Carla was speaking. Carla's story of growing up in Honduras and trying so hard to make her way to her mother in the States was profoundly moving. She had so much faith, way more than even I have right now, and she just kept going despite every obstacle in her way. I admired her for that. The last chapter from Carla's point of view just broke my heart because it was so sad.

If the book had been told entirely from Carla's point of view, then this book would get a much higher rating. But alas, the author had to give us Alice. Alice had cancer and chemotherapy when she was younger so she is unable to conceive. The book opens after the baby they had adopted was taken back by the mother because she changed her mind. I thought I would be able to connect with her more than anyone because of her struggles with fertility and wanting a child. Just a note that my husband and I have actually been trying to conceive for over two years now. But instead of connecting with her, I disliked her. She yelled at her husband because he was sad. She actually told him to stop wallowing. She did that for most of the book, except for one chapter where she became sad and her husband was the angry one. Maybe the author was trying to give the reader some sympathy for Alice. It did not work. I also didn't like how she treated her husband. She took in a wayward teenager (Evian) after Evian's mother kicked her out, despite the fact that Jake repeatedly asked her not to. Jake told her he thought they needed some time to recover alone, but Alice completely ignored his feelings. I do understand that she just needed someone to take care of (and in case I didn't, Alice continuously reminded me), but she just ignored Jake's feelings and did whatever the hell she wanted to do. It seemed very disrespectful to her husband. 

There was one line that really bothered me in the book. During Carla's perspective, she made the comment "This is hard for an American to understand." Carla actually said that a couple of times. I think maybe the author forgot that she is an American. And I am not sure how accurate it is that twelve year old girls from Honduras often think about why stuff is hard for Americans to understand, at least not without any context. I cannot take that statement seriously from someone who is an American herself. Maybe that's just me, but it really rubbed me the wrong way.

I give this book a 2/5.