I'm about halfway through this, and I'm enjoying it much more than I thought I would. For some reason I had a sense that it might be more serious than I was in the mood for (it is, indeed, fairly serious), and just not very engaging. But I'm finding I'm liking all the characters quite a lot, and the lives of both main characters are compelling. Halpern maintains a lot of mystery around both lives, so there's a sense of suspense that keeps me curious.
Reading about Sunny's parents makes me wonder if there are books with hippie parents who aren't harming their children with their hippie ways; I can't think of any, off the top of my head. It seems like it should be possible to strike a balance between commitment to a more idealistic and loving way of being in the world, and also being attuned to your kid and being aware of their needs.
I'm also really liking the town that's another character in the book. Riverton is so run down, but something about it still inspires affection in me. (I just looked to see if it's a real town. It's not. I figured it wasn't; it might be a little cruel to write about a real place that's declined so very far, although I'm sure there are real towns that have fallen so far in lots of northeastern states.) I love the library, of course; I also love its employees and patrons.
I'm looking forward to finding out the secrets in Sunny's and Kit's lives, and I'm looking forward to seeing how their relationship ends up, and how they move on into whatever their next chapter will be.
