I don’t normally do family sagas. They’re just so detailed and finicky and full of petty drama and these complicated strands of storyline you have to keep a constant eye on. I find them wearing and exhausting and not generally worth the effort. But something about this one made me want to give it a try. I think I didn’t really pay close attention to the description, and didn’t realize it was going to be such a family-focused drama, and, of course, I liked the cover.
This is the story of two families, the Stanhopes and the Gleesons, half of each couple are Irish immigrants who came to the US and never looked back. The story starts in the late 20th century and finds the two families living side by side in a quiet town not far from New York city, where the two husbands started their careers as partners walking a beat for the NYPD. The two aren’t close friends, and moving next door doesn’t make them any closer. We are several years into the story when a violent incident fractures all their lives. Perhaps a better description would be that it blew their lives to smithereens. I can’t tell you any more than that without spoilers,so you’re going to have to roll with the vague.
Caught in the crossfire is a budding relationship between the Stanhope’s son, Peter and the Gleeson’s youngest daughter, Kate. The two have been inseparable since childhood, much to the chagrin of Peter’s mother, who does not approve. The event that occurs leads the Stanhopes to leave their home and move to the city, and the two are separated.
The story continues to follow Kate and Peter as they finish high school, then college and begin their adult lives. Both are irreparably affected by both the early years they spent together and the violence that split their paths. Neither is able to put any of that history behind them.
I’m so conflicted about this book. On the one hand, the writing was decent and I definitely wanted to find out what was going to happen to all the characters. On the other hand, I felt no emotional connection to any of the characters, and the author’s decision to skip over big chunks of time or switch perspectives so we feel like a character we’ve followed closely has suddenly been pushed to arm’s length made it awkward and hard to remain invested. I didn’t like many of the characters, and the ones who I did like we didn’t spend a ton of time with. The story was fine, but only that.
What I did find valuable in the book is the discussion of a few important issues – mental illness, stigma, loss, relationships, addiction, motherhood and childhood. The way these things were addressed felt real and careful, and I appreciated that. I also liked that while it covers decades, it rarely dragged. But that’s really all the positives. It didn’t make me stop and think much, it didn’t leave me with any kind of strong feeling towards it. It’s a good book, but not a great one. If you love family sagas, this is definitely one to check out. If you’re looking for something to read on vacation that has a bit more depth (and darkness) than your typical beach read, this might fit the bill. But I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to buy Keane’s next book.
(Trigger warnings for violence, mental illness, alcoholism and abandonment.)
A profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the friendship between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, and the power of forgiveness.
Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are two NYPD rookies assigned to the same Bronx precinct in 1973. They aren’t close friends on the job, but end up living next door to each other outside the city. What goes on behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the stunning events to come.
Ask Again, Yes by award-winning author Mary Beth Keane, is a beautifully moving exploration of the friendship and love that blossoms between Francis’s youngest daughter, Kate, and Brian’s son, Peter, who are born six months apart. In the spring of Kate and Peter’s eighth grade year a violent event divides the neighbors, the Stanhopes are forced to move away, and the children are forbidden to have any further contact.
But Kate and Peter find a way back to each other, and their relationship is tested by the echoes from their past. Ask Again, Yes reveals how the events of childhood look different when reexamined from the distance of adulthood—villains lose their menace, and those who appeared innocent seem less so. Kate and Peter’s love story is marked by tenderness, generosity, and grace. – Goodreads
Book Title:Â Ask Again, Yes
Author:Â Mary Beth Keane
Series:Â No
Edition:Â Paperback
Published By:Â Scribner
Released:Â May 28, 2019
Genre:Â Fiction, Family, Multi-Generational, Saga
Pages:Â 400
Date Read: June 17-July 2, 2019
Rating: 5/10
Average Goodreads Rating:Â 4.13/5 (8,515 ratings)
