Book Review - Nest

Title: Nest
Author: Esther Ehrlich
Genre: Historical fiction
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Rating:

A lovely weep-fest

Summary: For Naomi, nicknamed Chirp, life follows a familiar pattern - school, dancing with her mother and sister Rachel, awkward conversation with her psychologist father, and avoiding Joey and his mean brothers across the street. At least, it used to. Lately, though, her mother has been unwell and her sister has grown more distant. Even Joey seems different after Naomi's mother is first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and then institutionalized with a sever bout of depression.
My Opinion: In the beginning, Chirp is incredibly innocent, almost annoyingly naive. But, as the plot progresses, she must grow up alarmingly quickly. We see her belief in goodness and beauty, her love of birds and nature, shaken and twisted by the blows she is dealt. Without getting into any spoilers, I will say that the later chapters will take you through and emotional wringer. And while the book is set in the 1970's and there are a lot of dated references, the plot itself has a sort of universality that keeps it from becoming too distancing. Even those who are not fans of historical fiction will connect with the book.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.