Disturbing the Peace

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"Disturbing the Peace"
by Nancy Newman

Pros	• Well-researched • Not overly sentimental • Brings an "outsider's" view

Cons	• Some weak characterizations

The Bottom Line - Nancy Newman's novel about a woman whose search for her birthmother helps her put her own life in perspective, is a captivating story from an author outside the adoption "triad" who brings a fresh viewpoint to search and family connections.

Product Description

•	Published by Avon Books
•	ISBN: 0380798395
•	302 pages, paperback

Good Enough to Read Again
Sarah Bridges was adopted by her stepmother, something she never told anyone until a meeting with the requisite tall, dark, handsome, mysterious man who comes into her life. While the outcome of the story is a given, the author's ability to capture the uncertainties, the frustration, and the reconciliation of a less-than-perfect family that many adoptees experience is right on target.

The book grabbed my attention from the beginning and I read it straight through. It's an easy book to read, not mired in over-sentimentality. The author concentrates on Sarah and her search, sometimes leaving other characters less well-developed, but it doesn't detract from the core story - Sarah's acknowledgement of a need to find answers in order to move forward, and how the answers she finds affect her.

There are many memorable moments in the book, but the one that hit home the strongest for me comes toward the end of the book, as Sarah struggles to come to terms with the reality of her reunion and where it fits in her life:

"We weren't bonded by love or friendship or a shared past, but by a shared absence that had left a crater-sized dent in both our lives."

This is a book I look forward to re-reading. It contains much of my life as a reunited adoptee, even as it contains nothing of me.

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