If you read my reviews at all, you already know I’m a huge
fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde. Her novels portray everyday people in difficult
situations that most people can relate to. STAY is yet another wonderful novel
by this talented wordsmith. Below is more about her latest novel and my thoughts.
Stay
Catherine Ryan Hyde
Book Description:
In the summer of 1969, fourteen-year-old Lucas Painter
carries a huge weight on his shoulders. His brother is fighting in Vietnam. His
embattled parents are locked in a never-ending war. And his best friend,
Connor, is struggling with his own family issues. To find relief from the
chaos, Lucas takes long, meandering walks, and one day he veers into the woods.
There he discovers an isolated cabin and two huge dogs.
Frightened, he runs. And the dogs run with him. Lucas finds unusual peace in
running with the dogs, and eventually he meets their owner, Zoe Dinsmore.
Closed off and haunted by a tragic past, Zoe has given up. She doesn’t want to
be saved. She wants out. But Lucas doesn’t want her to go, and he sees an
opportunity to bring more than one friend back into the light. It’s either the
best or worst idea he’s ever had, but Lucas isn’t giving up on Zoe or Connor.
Their unexpected connection might be the saving grace that
Zoe thought she’d lost, that Connor needs, and that Lucas has been running
toward.
Release Date: December 3, 2019
Lake Union Publishing
Buy:
My 5-Star Review:
Fourteen-year-old Lucas is worried about many things in the
summer of 1969. His older brother is fighting in Vietnam, his parents fight
constantly, and his best friend is growing more and more reclusive. Lucas is
worried about everyone, and wants to fix their problems, but is unable to do
so. As a release, he’s started running. He runs in the woods behind his house,
finding it calming. Until one day he come upon a small cabin that he’s never
noticed before and two very active dogs. After days of running with the dogs,
he meets their owner, Zoe, who lives isolated from everyone. After a near-tragedy,
Lucas’s friendship with Zoe grows, and an unusual connection is made that will
touch everyone in Lucas’s life, especially him.
I love stories where unexpected friendships grow to be so
much more. Catherine Ryan Hyde is an expert at developing flawed characters who
somehow find each other and learn to live to their potential. It’s people
helping people, even the most broken of us. Set in the turbulent era of the
Vietnam War, when knowing right from wrong was difficult, this book pulls at
your heartstrings. This novel is one of my favorites by this amazing author.
About the Author:
Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of more than thirty
published and forthcoming books. An avid hiker, traveler, equestrian, and
amateur photographer, she has released her first book of photos, 365
Days of Gratitude: Photos from a Beautiful World.
Her novel Pay It Forward was adapted into a
major motion picture, chosen by the American Library Association (ALA) for its
Best Book for Young Adults list, and translated into more than twenty-three
languages for distribution in over thirty countries. Both Becoming Chloe and Jumpstart
the World were included on the ALA’s Rainbow List, and Jumpstart
the World was a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards. Where
We Belong won two Rainbow Awards in 2013, and The Language of
Hoofbeats won a Rainbow Award in 2015.
More than fifty of her short stories have been published in
the Antioch Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Virginia
Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train, and
many other journals, and in the anthologies Santa Barbara Stories and California
Shorts and the bestselling anthology Dog Is My Co-Pilot.
Her stories have been honored in the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest and the
Tobias Wolff Award and nominated for the O. Henry Award and the Pushcart Prize.
Three have been cited in The Best American Short Stories.
She is founder and former president (2000–2009) of the Pay
It Forward Foundation and still serves on its board of directors. As a
professional public speaker, she has addressed the National Conference on
Education, twice spoken at Cornell University, met with AmeriCorps members at
the White House, and shared a dais with Bill Clinton.
For more information, please visit the author at
www.catherineryanhyde.com.
