- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Emblem Editions (Jun 16 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0771044909
- ISBN-13: 978-0771044908
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 14.2 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 454 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #140,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Quill & Quire
A young Toronto girl blossoms into adulthood in Lauren Kirshner’s sweet and touching debut Where We Have to Go. Like adolescence itself, the novel contains some moments of awkward fumbling, but wins the reader over with a masterful comic touch and a canny distillation of the painful experience of growing up different. The blossomer in question is 11-year-old Lucy Bloom, a serious cat fancier and devotee of the furry extraterrestrial TV puppet ALF. Lucy spends her days trying to survive the marital foibles of her parents, an ESL teacher mom preoccupied with the Y2K bug and a father who divides his time between AA meetings and a dead-end job at a travel agency. We follow Lucy’s quirky path from puberty to first-year university. Kirshner, a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Masters of English creative-writing program, has created a perceptive and likeable protagonist in Lucy. Her observations on growing up in a struggling Jewish family offer moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity. During her parents’ trial separation, for instance, she knocks on a neighbour’s door and is greeted by an unexpected “Kabuki divorce redramatization”: a surreal mass of men and women packed into a sunken living room, all of them wearing identical red and black masks. Some of the book’s arch comedic barbs feel unlikely coming from such a young protagonist, and at times the writing is too self-consciously clever, as if Kirshner herself is channelling an adolescent’s need for validation. But in an affecting section about Lucy’s descent into an eating disorder as a teen, the author demonstrates a finely tuned control of her talents. As the girl reaches the stage at which her bones are visible through her clothing, her sense of humour measurably increases in bitterness. But eventually, all the loose ends in Lucy’s life move toward tidy resolution, and the reader is gently eased into an overtly poetic ending. Kirshner captures coming-of-age rites – from touching another girl’s breasts to the shame and alienation of high-school gym class – with just the right combination of embarrassment and wonder. The theme of survival that drives Where We Have to Go is an evocative and compelling one.
Review
“[Where We Have to Go] wins the reader over with a masterful comic touch and a canny distillation of the painful experience of growing up different…. Kirshner has created a perceptive and likeable protagonist in Lucy. Her observations on growing up in a struggling Jewish family offer moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity…. Evocative and compelling….”
— Quill & Quire
“An impressive debut from a gifted writer.”
— NOW magazine
“Lauren Kirshner creates a first-person narrator you never stop rooting for. . . . [Where We Have to Go] highlights Kirshner as a new novelist to watch. A very strong, original debut.”
— Zoe Whittall, Globe and Mail
“Tenderly and meticulously rendered. . . . This novel is well worth reading. Lucy’s voice is smart and strong and clear, and like the young author who created her, it deserves to be heard.”
— Winnipeg Free Press
“Canadian authors excel at the precocious female protagonist, and Kirshner's character is a worthy addition to the bunch.”
— Chatelaine
“Lucy's circumstances are enough to break your heart, but they'll also make you bust out laughing — Kirshner's wry humour will see to that.”
— Canadian Living
“Kirshner has a lot of talent that occasionally reaches sublime heights, plus her comic timing is spot on. Some of the characters in this novel, such as artistic Erin, are quite unique literary conceptions who are not only compelling but borderline enchanting. ”
— Edmonton Vue Weekly
"[Where We Have to Go] is a novel about resilience, the human urge to overcome sorrow, trials and tribulations... Lauren Kirshner has created a world that is believable, touching and a reminder that the journey through life, while not always pleasant, can always get better with time, growth, and understanding."
— Owen Sound Sun-Times
"Combines rich and vivid characters with evocative imagery to tell a compelling tale of adolescence. . . . Kirshner’s whole cast of artfully drawn characters maintains consistently compelling voices. . . . Kirshner uniquely captures with levity and humour the familiar (and painful) experiences of growing up different."
— The Varsity
"Deeply emotionally resonant, Where We Have to Go celebrates the very real triumphs and tribulations of teenage years with understanding and love without letting the characters off the hook for their choices. You’ll recognize yourself and those you love while getting to know the brilliantly drawn characters unique to the pages of this book."
— The Advent Book Blog: Great Books Recommended by Great People
“[Lauren Kirshner is] fast emerging as one of Toronto's most talented new authors....”
— Toronto Star
— Quill & Quire
“An impressive debut from a gifted writer.”
— NOW magazine
“Lauren Kirshner creates a first-person narrator you never stop rooting for. . . . [Where We Have to Go] highlights Kirshner as a new novelist to watch. A very strong, original debut.”
— Zoe Whittall, Globe and Mail
“Tenderly and meticulously rendered. . . . This novel is well worth reading. Lucy’s voice is smart and strong and clear, and like the young author who created her, it deserves to be heard.”
— Winnipeg Free Press
“Canadian authors excel at the precocious female protagonist, and Kirshner's character is a worthy addition to the bunch.”
— Chatelaine
“Lucy's circumstances are enough to break your heart, but they'll also make you bust out laughing — Kirshner's wry humour will see to that.”
— Canadian Living
“Kirshner has a lot of talent that occasionally reaches sublime heights, plus her comic timing is spot on. Some of the characters in this novel, such as artistic Erin, are quite unique literary conceptions who are not only compelling but borderline enchanting. ”
— Edmonton Vue Weekly
"[Where We Have to Go] is a novel about resilience, the human urge to overcome sorrow, trials and tribulations... Lauren Kirshner has created a world that is believable, touching and a reminder that the journey through life, while not always pleasant, can always get better with time, growth, and understanding."
— Owen Sound Sun-Times
"Combines rich and vivid characters with evocative imagery to tell a compelling tale of adolescence. . . . Kirshner’s whole cast of artfully drawn characters maintains consistently compelling voices. . . . Kirshner uniquely captures with levity and humour the familiar (and painful) experiences of growing up different."
— The Varsity
"Deeply emotionally resonant, Where We Have to Go celebrates the very real triumphs and tribulations of teenage years with understanding and love without letting the characters off the hook for their choices. You’ll recognize yourself and those you love while getting to know the brilliantly drawn characters unique to the pages of this book."
— The Advent Book Blog: Great Books Recommended by Great People
“[Lauren Kirshner is] fast emerging as one of Toronto's most talented new authors....”
— Toronto Star
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful coming-of-age story,
By
This review is from: Where We Have to Go (Paperback)
Meet Lucy. She's an imaginative 11-year-old whose parents are on the verge of splitting up. Her father is a failed glamour photographer and a travel agent who doesn't travel. He's also a recovering alcoholic battling his personal demons at weekly AA meetings. Her mother is larger-than-life, a former beauty queen in her native Bulgaria and a lover of the antique mannequins that represent their little family. As her parents continue to fight, Lucy begins to grasp that all is not well in her household, and when another woman is introduced into the volatile mix, Lucy and her mother move out of the house in pursuit of a better life. The story continues to follow Lucy and her family as they work through the pain of infedelity, the uncertainty of trying to become a family again, her grandfather's illness, anorexia and the inability to fit in in high school. We watch her grow up in the 1990's, and eventually she blossoms into a young college student with a new outlook on life."Where We Have to Go" is an absolutely beautiful coming-of-age story. In the beginning Lucy is a gawky girl on the verge of adolescence with no breasts to speak of and the habit of counting things to ward off bad events. This hint of her obsessive-compulsiveness develops into full-blown anorexia in her teen years when she realizes that she doesn't fit in at school. This part hit particularly close to home for me. I didn't have anorexia in school, but I certainly didn't fit in with the popular girls, despite my desire to. Reading this book brought all of that awkwardness back, along with a sense of relief that I am now past my teenage years and am a (relatively) well-adjusted adult. Lauren Kirshner manages to take those feelings of highschool aniexty and channels them into some great material. Her characters were also really well-developed, particularly the character of Lucy's grandfather. He was a secondary character, but I could picture him, especially when he leans his cane against the wall of his nursing home, pretending that he doesn't need it, so that he can hit on the pretty young nurses. Lauren Kirshner has written a great debut novel, one that will beg to be read again.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fresh new voice,
This review is from: Where We Have to Go (Paperback)
I loved the voice in this book; its authenticity, the rawness of emotion. Kirschner goes straight to the heart of adolescent experience with insight, a gentle humour, and an astute understanding of the complexities of the young woman's soul. A wonderful read.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Where We Have To Go,
By avid reader "Sandi" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Where We Have to Go (Paperback)
Very interesting to watch her bloom and become aware of everything outside her home. She has a very sheltered way of looking at her surroundings. There is an insightful perspective on human nature. It shows how any one person can affect another person's life.Thoroughly enjoyable! |
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