Book Review: Days of Wonder by Caroline Leavitt

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The novel begins with twenty-two-year-old Ella Fitchburg in 2018 being released after serving six years of a twenty-five-year sentence for the attempted murder of her former boyfriend’s father, a prominent judge. Haunted by her past and the painful memories of Jude with whom she had dreamt of a future but who disappeared from her life after her arrest, Ella is desperate to locate the daughter she gave birth to and was made to give u for adoption while in prison. Complicating matters further is the fact that she does not have a clear memory of the night of the attempted murder and is unable to locate Jude, who might be able to shed light on the events of that night. Her mother, Helen, who works in a dress shop and loves her daughter, wouldn’t hesitate to relocate so that both of them could start afresh. Despite her mother’s protest, Ella secretly embarks on a search for her daughter. Ella, who earned a college degree while incarcerated, finds it difficult to secure employment on account of her criminal background but when she is offered a job in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her daughter’s adoptive family is located she decides to hide the truth about her past, and accept the offer and moves to Ann Arbor without Helen, who is aware that Ella has found her daughter. Helen’s life hasn’t been easy and she has endured much hardship to raise Ella as a single mother. With Ella trying to move on, Helen, whose life revolved around Ella, is now compelled to take stock of her own life and confront the painful secrets from her own past so that she might be able to move forward and experience everything that life has to offer as well as repair the cracks that have begun to appear in her relationship with her daughter. The narrative follows both Ella and Helen as they embark on their respective journeys of self-discovery, catharsis, healing and hope.

Shared from multiple perspectives across past and present timelines seamlessly woven into a fluid narrative Days of Wonder by Caroline Leavitt is a poignant read. The strength of this novel lies in the character development and the sensitive, realistic and compassionate depiction of complicated family dynamics. I loved the writing, the complex characters and the emotional depth with which the author has tackled several sensitive topics. The characters are flawed yet realistic and though you may question their choices, you can’t help but feel invested in their stories. The revelations pertaining to Ella’s conviction gradually come to light as the narrative progresses. I wasn’t completely satisfied with how this aspect of the story was tied up and felt it could have been explored further. You might have to suspend disbelief at certain junctures in the story and needless to say, you will feel a lot of emotions as the drama unfolds. I thought that the plot point concerning the adoptive family wasn’t quite necessary, but this does not detract from the overall reading experience.

Revolving around themes of family, love, loss, guilt, abuse, healing and forgiveness, this is a compelling read that I would not hesitate to recommend.

This was my first time reading this author and I look forward to exploring more of her work.

Many thanks to Algonquin Books for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.