Camilla lived vicariously through Sammy and they communicated almost telepathically at times; with Sammy’s death she had actually felt him die. She could feel herself, falling with him, flying to the ground as he fell from the tree. The pain is palpable and you feel it, as Camilla deals with his death in the only way she can, by becoming someone else.
The whole story was surreal, somewhat like having a dream. I could have been watching from underwater, the scenes rippled and surged moving in unexpected directions, not at all clear.
While the story is a tragedy, but it is also a story of hope and dreams, and how love can heal even the deepest wounds.
Sam was so disconnected that while I could feel her pain and see where it came from, I found myself somewhat impatient that she struggled so much with trust. I would imagine that you would have to walk in her shoes in order to really understand.
I would recommend Restored Hope for book club reading as well as discussion groups. It touches on so many of the issues of today.
Article comments
1 - Brenda Youngerman
Thank you so much for this review. You nailed it right on the head! I would be more than willing to talk to any book group that would like to read this as one of their choice!