I received this book for free from Netgalley, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Relativity by Antonia Hayes Published by Corsair on April 7, 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Fiction
Pages: 368
Format: E-Arc, Hardback
Source: Netgalley, Publisher
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Relativity is a novel of assured and measured empathy, a story of familial love and familial hurt that is fair, honest and remarkably non-judgmental. Hayes is a convincing writer and a true storyteller: her characters are alive.' Christos Tsiolkas, author of THE SLAP"Help," he said. "He's not breathing."
A tiny baby is rushed to hospital. Doctors suspect he was shaken by his father, who is later charged and convicted. The baby grows up in the care of his mother. Life goes on.
Twelve years later, Ethan is a singular young boy. Gifted with an innate affinity for physics and astronomy, Ethan sees the world in ways others simply can't - through a prism of light, time, stars and space.
Ethan is the centre of his mother's universe. Claire has tried to protect him from finding out what happened when he was a baby. But the older Ethan gets, the more questions he asks about his absent father.
A single handwritten letter is all it takes to set off a dramatic chain of events, pulling both parents back together again into Ethan's orbit. As the years seem to warp and bend, the past is both relived and revealed anew for each of them.
Relativity is an irresistible story about love, unbreakable bonds and irreversible acts.
It’s pretty hard to resist Relativity. Not only does it have some fantastic people praising it, it also has a gorgeous gorgeous cover. I mean, just look at that cover, that is a cover that is pretty hard to resist. And is perhaps one of my favourite covers to date! But now back to the book!
What’s amazing about this book, is that despite the topic, it remains non-judgemental. There are no sides, no pointed fingers, just the facts. It is not black and white and crystal clear. Instead we get to look at both sides and see for ourselves how one small moment can have a big impact in the wide universe. And how sometimes, nothing is how it seems.
I have to admit that I don’t really understand Physics, it a subject that has always seemed to be beyond my understanding. But I loved the descriptions and use of Physics in this book. And the fact that all the chapters were titled things like ‘gravity’ and ‘motion’ and ‘acceleration’. All of them giving little hints about what the chapter is about. It’s Physics that give this book personality, and there is a contrasting effect between the physics theories and the emotional journeys in the book.
I loved Ethan and how he was himself throughout the book, growing and changing and adapting to the changes around him. He may be 12 years old, but he is gifted and talented. And the story is really about him, learning about the past, a secret and how an event as a baby is affected him still. I enjoyed how, in a way, the story came full circle. And how the past was accepted, all through the theories of science of course.
Haunting, gripping and mesmerising Relativity is a book that will stay in your heart a long time after reading.
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