The Possibility of You (by Pamela Redmond)

The Possibility of You
by Pamela Redmond
Release date : February 21st, 2012

1916. It was the one thing Bridget was supposed to never let happen. But no matter how many times she replayed the steps in her head, she couldn’t reanimate the small pale boy who lay limp in her arms.
 1976. Billie felt as if she’d been wrenched in half more surely than when the baby had been cut from her body. But she felt something else too: happy to think only of her own needs, her own tears. So light she could float away, somewhere no one would ever find her.
 The present. Even if Cait never found her birth mother, even if she decided not to have this baby, to leave her lover and kiss her parents good-bye, she was surrounded by so much emotion, so many questions, that she felt as if she might never be free again. Can we ever atone for the sins of the past? Or does each generation of women invent itself anew?

In a complex and beautifully told masterpiece set against key moments for women in the last century,New York Times bestselling author Pamela Redmond intertwines the heartrending stories of Bridget, Billie, and Cait, and explores the ways in which one woman’s choices can affect her loved ones forever. As these three women search for identity and belonging, each faces a very personal decision that will reverberate across generations, tearing apart families, real and imaginary, perfect and flawed, but ultimately bringing them together again. (from Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS : I though this was a beautiful transgenerational novel, written with care. The three different periods are very well described (the atmosphere, the places, the historical context, the "real" life feeling,...). I could feel that the author had done a lot of research in order to be as realistic as she could, and I thought it turned out pretty well. The three main characters are distinct, well characterized, and I liked them all. The alternating chapters give a nice dynamic to the story while making us travel through time. That's pretty awesome. The main theme is deep, fascinating and painful all at the same time, and I thought it was approached cleverly and without too much subjectivity. When reading THE POSSIBILITY OF YOU, we witness how families pass on their psychological traumas, and it made me think. I found this book really touching.

There were a few things that I didn't enjoy in this book, although they didn't stop me from loving it! First, it took some time for me to connect all the stories. I understood the main link between them but, since one generation was skipped, I was a bit confused, at least for a while...  Also, there were moments when the mix between the narration and the dialogues was a tad messy, but that was only from time to time. In general, I thought the book was beautifully written.

I would recommend THE POSSIBILITY OF YOU to any daughters and mothers out there! I found it mesmerizing, moving and colourful!