Gravity is the Thing
Summary (from the publisher): The adult debut from bestselling, award-winning young adult author Jaclyn Moriarty—a frequently hilarious, brilliantly observed novel—that follows a single mother’s heartfelt search for greater truths about the universe, her family and herself.
Twenty years ago, Abigail Sorenson’s brother Robert went missing one day before her sixteenth birthday, never to be seen again. That same year, she began receiving scattered chapters in the mail of a self-help manual, the Guidebook, whose anonymous author promised to make her life soar to heights beyond her wildest dreams.
The Guidebook’s missives have remained a constant in Abi’s life—a befuddling yet oddly comforting voice through her family’s grief over her brother’s disappearance, a move across continents, the devastating dissolution of her marriage, and the new beginning as a single mother and café owner in Sydney.
Now, two decades after receiving those first pages, Abi is invited to an all-expenses paid weekend retreat to learn “the truth” about the Guidebook. It’s an opportunity too intriguing to refuse. If Everything is Connected, then surely the twin mysteries of the Guidebook and a missing brother must be linked?
What follows is completely the opposite of what Abi expected––but it will lead her on a journey of discovery that will change her life––and enchant readers. Gravity Is the Thing is a smart, unusual, wickedly funny novel about the search for happiness that will break your heart into a million pieces and put it back together, bigger and better than before.
Twenty years ago, Abigail Sorenson’s brother Robert went missing one day before her sixteenth birthday, never to be seen again. That same year, she began receiving scattered chapters in the mail of a self-help manual, the Guidebook, whose anonymous author promised to make her life soar to heights beyond her wildest dreams.
The Guidebook’s missives have remained a constant in Abi’s life—a befuddling yet oddly comforting voice through her family’s grief over her brother’s disappearance, a move across continents, the devastating dissolution of her marriage, and the new beginning as a single mother and café owner in Sydney.
Now, two decades after receiving those first pages, Abi is invited to an all-expenses paid weekend retreat to learn “the truth” about the Guidebook. It’s an opportunity too intriguing to refuse. If Everything is Connected, then surely the twin mysteries of the Guidebook and a missing brother must be linked?
What follows is completely the opposite of what Abi expected––but it will lead her on a journey of discovery that will change her life––and enchant readers. Gravity Is the Thing is a smart, unusual, wickedly funny novel about the search for happiness that will break your heart into a million pieces and put it back together, bigger and better than before.
Review: I received an uncorrected proof copy of this novel from HarperCollins.
Single mother Abi's life has been shaped by two pivotal events that both happened right before her sixteenth birthday: the disappearance of her brother Robert and receiving the first of many chapters in the mail of the Guidebook, a mysterious set of instructions to help her soar. Now, twenty years later, her brother is still missing and she is still receiving installments of the Guidebook when she is invited to an all expenses paid weekend to learn the truth behind the mysterious book she has been reading all these years.
It surprised me how much this book ended up delighting me. Early on, I found the whole guidebook element of the book unbelievable and sort of farcical but the book grew on me until I couldn't help but buy into the whole storyline. It's rare to read a book that is somehow often lighthearted and comical but also tackles really heavy topics in a moving way.
This book is about heartbreak, the search for happiness, and how interconnected our world can be. I ended up really liking Abi as a character and sympathized with the many struggles she faced. I also found Moriarty's depiction of daily life with four year old and the struggles of dating in today's world both extremely spot on. Overall, I still don't love the odd frame story of blindly going on a trip to discover the truth behind a mysterious book you've gotten in the mail for years (it was hard for me to believe anyone would risk their life that way ha!) but I'm glad I pushed through my suspicions in order to enjoy the second half of this heartwarming little novel.
Stars: 3.5
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