Review: Holding On to Zoe

Holding On to Zoe
By George Ella Lyon
Expected publication July 17, 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Everyone tells her that there is no baby, that Jules had an ectopic pregnancy. But can't they all see that Zoe is right here? Jules cares for Zoe and works to make a new life for the two of them, but there is something just at the edge of her understanding that doesn't feel right.

This was a book I picked up on a whim at ALA - it sounded psychological and complicated so I figured I'd give it a shot. This is a quick read - a little under 200 pages - so I didn't have to worry about spending a lot of time with the book. Beyond that, however, this book was underwhelming. I kept expecting it to surprise me at any moment, but it just never did. There isn't a whole lot I can talk about without spoiling the book for anyone who might want to read it, but I expected more. I can think of a number of more affecting books about similar topics that I would recommend more readily than this one. It was not nearly as compelling or as psychologically complex as I expected. Since I don't want to ruin it for anyone, I can't think of much more to say. I will add that I think this is a horrible cover - it gives the completely wrong impression about the book. To me, this cover reads like some sort of sci-fi novel, which this book is definitely not. Overall, this was not the book I hoped it would be.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.