I remember liking the previous Amy Bloom books that I read (Away, In Love, White Houses). But her newest, which came out last year, just didn't do it for me.
I'll Be Right Here started off good. It's about two siblings living in France during the Nazi occupation and how, even though they are Jewish, they can pass as non-Jewish. The sister, Gazala, is kept safe by living with and working for a neighbor. And through that connection, she is sent to New York to start a new life. There she meets new friends, sisters Anne and Alma. Gazala is also reunited with her brother. And together, this becomes a "chosen family".
Potential spoilers ahead...
I think the point of this novel was to show how a close-knit group becomes your community and family throughout the years. But it did so in a very confusing way. (Was I the only one wondering if Samir and Gazala were actually blood siblings? Didn't Bloom write that Samir's parents died, and that's how Gazala's parents became Samir's parents?And then did they have sex in Mexico??) First, we're in the past in Paris, and the story is told chronologically. But then the story keeps jumping back and forth between past and present, and you're suddenly reading a new name without getting a proper introduction to that character. It was hard for me to keep track of everything.
So no, I did not like this. I finished it, but it was a struggle. I would not recommend this one.
I'll Be Right Here is published by Random House. I received a free e-ARC in exchange for this review.
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