Review: Half a World Away

Half a World Away by Cynthia Kadohata

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



The books that really grab me are books with interesting characters and this book provides one. It also provides an interesting universal dilemma - how do you form a family? What is a family?

With several themes related to adoption, this book is not didactic, but is, rather, expository. Although I have never been personally involved in adoption, my sister and her husband adopted three kids from Russia, so I know a little bit about the financial and emotional investment it takes. But this book is the first one that helped me FEEL what attachment difficulties FEEL like - especially for older children who are adopted.

I am not generally very taken by descriptions of place. People and their interactions are more compelling to me. But one piece of imagery really is sticking with me for this book: the description of the wind. It isn't even a major element in the story, but somehow, the wind made everything more real.

I read this the same day I bought it. This includes re-reading part of it, because I wanted to see better how Jaden developed his interest in Dimash, once I figured out how important this relationship was to Jaden.

The only slightly annoying bit of the book was the continual emphasis on "bonding" time with the baby, Ramazan. "Bonding" seems almost like new-age psychobabble. I know it is important to the story, but my interest flagged a little when the word kept coming up.



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