Where We Lived: A Raw and Powerful Novel of Five Girls, Trauma, and the Strength to Survive

by Christina Fitzpatrick

Meet Tanya, Gwen, Emma, Mia, and Claire, five girls from the same hometown whose lives intersect under unforgettable circumstances. Tanya grows up with an abusive brother and a prostitute's daughter for a best friend. Gwen dreams of being a super-model but, like Tanya on the rougher side of town, must surviveviolence. Emma has a hard-working single mother who can't always protect her. Emma's best friend, Mia, loses her father to suicide. And finally, there's Claire, who escapes their small town but finds she can't escape the past. Through these remarkable characters, Christina Fitzpatrick captures not only the anger and fear in being young and unprotected but also the strength and compassion that unite all who have suffered and survived. In this dark, breathtaking work, Ms. Fitzpatrick's haunting prose elevates the female experience into a powerful, raw read.

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 2001

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of interconnected short stories about five girls from the same hometown whose lives intersect in various ways. I especially liked Gwen's story called "The Secret" about how girls sometimes get themselves into horrible predicaments with men and then have to live with the disturbing consequences. I think every girl has experienced something like this in her life. Fear is a big theme in these stories, fear of being in danger and unprotected from the world at large. Christina Fitzpatrick has a great voice and her characters live in a dark, but endlessly fascinating, world.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really touched by this book of interconnected stories about young girls growing up in less than ideal circumstances. Wonderful, compelling writing. Not
one bad story in the book. I don’t know why this author isn’t better known.

[Shannon Peil · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out strong. 50 pages in I was hooked and liked the feel that every character that was touched in a preceding story would take over next, and the format and story telling were short, to the point, and well constructed.

Then, the stories became continually focused on the most boring character Christina had come up with and the writing starts to feel disjointed, the narration styles switching back and forth without a discernable pattern, like she had written all of these stories separately and then forced them together hastily and gotten a book out of it without double checking her work.

Eventually the book ends up going on and on about Claire, who is a parody of a cliched beginning writer that begins taking on all the characteristics of the author herself and it becomes slightly embarrassing.

I have one more complaint in that every male character mentioned is inherently evil and out to get any of the girls without any motivation besides owning a penis, but that was pretty easy to overlook at first because the prose is good for the most part, and the initial stories were touching and worth reading - it just lost steam.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but a bit slow. I had a headache the entire time I was attempting to read this book so that messed up my mojo. I think if I didn't have the perpetual headache, I would have finished this book much quicker.

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know this author. She is a friend of my friend Denise. I like her and I realy liked this book.

[Keri Finnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christina Fitzpatrick grew up in Springfield Massachusetts and while the subject matter is dark it's neat to read about areas I know.