Hanna Halperin

Grab your journal and tissues for this introspective heartbreaker. You’ll definitely cry and also have the need to journal—if not for therapeutic reasons (because, again, there will be tears) then for creative inspiration since our main character, Leah, is a somewhat shy writer going through an MFA program with other writers. Besides being a book about writers, I Could Live Here Forever—one of my favorites of the year—is a really honest and intimate glimpse inside life and love with an addict, highlighting the line between truth and lies, reality and delusions. It’s a poignant portrayal of the tragedy of abandonment and addiction paired with the euphoria of love and belonging.

The characters in this book, especially Leah and Charlie who meet by chance in a grocery store checkout line, are also unforgettable. In fact, there are certain characters that leave a lasting impression long after the final page has been turned. They become embedded, etching themselves into our minds and hearts in such a way that they’re no longer fictional. Charlie, with his tenderness and vulnerability and intensity, is such a character.

This entire book is beautiful and melancholic and enduring, a read I’d highly recommend if you enjoy character-driven novels where gritty personal and family drama dominate the pages.… (meer)

This is the story of a woman who endures and tolerates domestic abuse and the effect that it has on her daughters who try to stop the cycle of abuse. One has to question why somebody would willingly stay in a relationship like this, especially given the radiating psychological effects it has on the rest of the family. The daughters, in particular, take all sorts of dangerous risks that I don't think would occur to somebody growing up in a stable environment. It seems like an all-too-common story - and a sad one.… (meer)