Debut author Laurie Frankel was the latest choice for the SheKnows Book Club. Her novel, The Atlas of Love, brings a story of three women trying to be a family. Narrated by Janey, we meet Katie and Jill, all three who are English-lit students, while they struggle to keep up with classes and try to have social lives. For Mormon Katie, this means finding a boyfriend with the same religion. For Jill, life has a different plan. She becomes pregnant by her much younger boyfriend, and when he decides he can’t be a father, he takes off. Janey and Katie immediately come to their friend’s rescue, offering to move in with Jill and help care for the baby. Be their own unique family.
But once baby Atlas comes along, everything changes. Janey becomes overly attached to the baby boy, Katie gets engaged, and the father suddenly appears back in the picture, wanting to be with Jill but still not interested in being a dad. The story takes a dramatic turn when Atlas lands in the hospital, and the three friends are forced to make a decision. Can they keep living like a happy family? Or will the bonds of friendship become broken?
The Atlas of Love started a little slow, but quickly picks up steam and transported me into the character’s world. I felt a real honesty with each character- including when Jill wanted to give the father a second chance. I may not have liked what she was doing to her friends who changed their lives for her, but it was real. I thought this was a really interesting topic for a novel, one that more readers can relate to as we move away from what a “normal” family is. With TV shows now showcasing how 21st century families live (ABC’s Modern Family, for one example) I wasn’t that surprised at the non-traditional setting I was reading about. I definitely recommend this debut novel!
[Rating: 4.5]
