Monday, December 10, 2012

Where We Belong (Emily Giffin)

I finished reading "Where We Belong" by Emily Giffin last week, but the craziness of the holiday season, two jobs, and a busy social schedule have kept me from writing about it!

"Where We Belong" is the story of Kirby, a girl who is about to turn 18.  She knows that she's adopted, but also knows that once she turns 18, she'll have access to the whereabouts of her biological mother.  At a time when she's trying to figure out her life after high school and is starting to feel like she's really not fitting in, she wonders what it would be like to find out where she comes from.  Meanwhile, Marian Caldwell, who is now 36 years old, has lived a life most could only dream of - she's a writer of a hit TV show and lives in a nice apartment in New York City.  Kirby appears on her doorstep and Kirby's decision to show up will change both of their lives.

Emily Giffin's writing style in "Where We Belong" is similar to that in "Something Borrowed" or "Something Blue."  It was an easy to read, girly book.  It wasn't a challenging (or "deep") read, but I enjoyed the story behind it.  A good lunch time read for me this past month! 

Each chapter moves between the point of view of Kirby (the daughter) and Marian (the biological mother).  You get a glimpse of how each of them are feeling throughout the whole process.  I like when authors do this and are able to show you the turmoil (or excitement!) within each character. 

There are some little twists throughout the book to keep you guessing.  You can make a good guess once you start reading about how the book is going to turn out (another predictable one...), but the ending was enough to let you imagine how their lives will all turn out afterwards.

If you liked other Emily Giffin books (or Sophie Kinsella books), you will probably like this one.