Finding Isobel

by Mary Behan

Finding Isobel is a compelling story of self-discovery, forgiveness, and the enduring power of family.Isobel has always yearned to uncover the mystery surrounding her birth and why her adoptive parents have refused to share what they know with her. About to enter vet school, Isobel’s life takes an unexpected turn after the death of Maggie O’Connor, Isobel’s de facto grandmother. Fueled by the pain of rejection, and willing to sacrifice her college plans and a burgeoning relationship, Isobel embarks on a quest.Her search takes her from the tranquil landscapes of Wisconsin to the untamed beauty of New Zealand and ultimately to Bosnia, where she was born. Along the way, she encounters a diverse cast of characters, each with their own secrets and stories to share. Isobel discovers that the past holds far more than mere answers, setting her up for a future she could never have imagined.Read the companion book to "Finding Isobel," A Measured Thread, to learn the story behind how Isobel started her life-changing quest.

268 pages, Paperback

Published March 19, 2024

About the author

MARY BEHAN was formerly a professor of neuroscience. Now retired, she devotes her time to writing fiction, memoir and short stories. Her first book, Abbey Girls, is a memoir she wrote with her sister, Valerie Behan, about their childhood in Ireland. Her debut novel, A Measured Thread, set in Wisconsin and Ireland, was named a Top 100 Indie Book in 2020, a finalist in the Page Turner Awards, and an eLit medal winner. Kernels, a collection of short stories, was published in 2021. Her stories have been published in the Irish literary journal, Crossways, and received Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. Mary lives with her husband in the Driftless Area of southwest Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Roger Skrypczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Isobel by Mary Behan
Laurance Gate Press, September 2023
Mazomanie, WI

Who doesn’t love stories about a conflicted young woman who embarks on a quest to find her life? Who doesn’t love to be imersed in a plethora of emotions throughout the young woman’s journey?
Who doesn’t love being shocked by the many revelations knitted neatly into the story?
And who doesn’t love and occasional comedy of errors? If you don’t love these things, don’t read this book. On the other hand, if these are what you enjoy reading, you MUST read Finding Isobel by Mary Behan.
The story begins with the death of the one person in Isobel’s life that she felt sincerely cared for her. Hired on as a caregiver and helper for Maggie, a terminally ill cancer patient, who turned out to be Isobel’s rock. As much as Isobel fulfilled Maggie’s physical needs, Maggie provided the emotional security Isobel was missing her entire life. Feeling abandoned by her birth parents, she was adopted by a couple showing her little love and encouragement. With a gift of a substantial amount of money to Isobel prior to her death, Maggie made it possible for Isobel to embark on a quest to find her birth parents, forgoing a carefully planned path for her life.


Roger Skrypczak, Author
Tatum’s Alibi and Never Doubt Nadine
Member Wisconsin Writer’s Assoc.
Mystery Writers of America

[Larry F. Sommers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Isobel is a new offering from gifted storyteller Mary Behan. It’s the saga of Isobel Babić, a young character from her earlier novel, A Measured Thread. In this new novel, life forces Isobel to emerge from the sheltering wing of her wise Irish mentor, Maggie O’Connor, and face the world on her own.

“Know thyself,” counseled Socrates. And Isobel’s self-knowledge is lacking due to the mystery of her birth. Setting aside, at great cost, her serious boyfriend Vic and her serious plan to attend veterinary school, she travels to New Zealand in search of her roots.

Behan’s sure-footed narrative keeps the focus where it belongs, on Isobel’s journey of self-discovery. Her tenacious inquiries yield one surprise after another, all tangled in her family’s heart-breaking past from the time of bloodletting in Bosnia a generation ago. To Isobel it’s the farthest thing from dry history. We get to ride along inside Isobel’s restless psyche until she gets to the heart of the matter.

Readers will applaud the book’s ending and will take great satisfacion from the revealing path Isobel must tread to get there. An enthusiastic thumbs up for Finding Isobel.

- Larry Sommers, author of Price of Passage: A Tale of Immigration and Liberation.

[Kathy Steffen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers will be mesmerized by this beautifully written story of Isobel’s journey as she unlocks the secrets of her past. The vivid descriptions of her travels from Wisconsin to New Zealand and then Bosnia, and the unforgettable characters we meet along the way, make us feel like we experience these people and places first-hand.

Isobel discovers her own hidden strengths as she faces an ever-shifting future, makes surprising discoveries, and completely reimagines her life. We journey alongside a woman who begins unsure of herself but who is determined to find enough courage to uncover her past and step into her future.

Finding Isobel goes beyond a riveting, page-turning story to explore what it means to be a parent, a child, and the effects that secrets and decisions cause throughout lives. As we journey along with Isobel, we discover how the past (real and perceived) can influence the future, but more…how to find the strength to move beyond and create an authentic, meaningful life.

[John Swissler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've just completed "Finding Isobel" and found it absolutely delightful. I highly recommend this book; it was wonderful -- such a great story, taking me to lands beyond Wisconsin that I have not (yet) visited while dredging up sad memories of Yugoslavia in the 1990’s. And every time the story had the chance to take a cheesy or a Hallmark turn, it didn't. I truly loved that. Weaving a story of loss and gain from Wisconsin to Canada to New Zealand to Yugoslavia and Italy – this book tells a story that is lovely, heart-warming, at times sad, at times hilarious about a woman’s search for herself through others.

I am an inveterate geo-checker. When movies, tv shows or books get something geographically wrong, I grumble and complain about how it's not that hard to get things right. The few times I checked – Ms. Behan had it right! Who knew that there IS a non-stop flight from Dubai to Auckland!

It is so wonderful to see more stories coming from Wisconsin-based authors and I can’t wait to read Ms. Behan’s earlier book “A Measured Thread.”

[R Oettinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Behan's latest tells the twisting, emotional story of Isobel Babić, a young woman seeking answers from the adoptive parents who not only left town, but left the country as soon as she graduated from high school. After years with no contact, Isobel is finally able to track down her parents through the generous gift of a good friend. The resulting journey takes her around the world as she strives to learn the meaning of family. Set in a backdrop of the war-torn former Yugoslavia, where Isobel was born, Finding Isobel explores questions of love and nationality, war and peace, and the transformations that the truth can work on even the oldest of relationships. I polished off the second half of the book in one sitting, eager to find out everything about Isobel and the difficult life decisions in her way.

[Gregory Renz · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first pages of Finding Isabel, I knew I was in the hands of a master storyteller. Isabel is obsessed with finding out why her biological parents gave her up for adoption. She takes us on a fascinating international journey from the Driftless area of Wisconsin to New Zealand, Bosnia, and Italy. The author’s gorgeous prose brought the settings to life with vivid descriptive details of the scenery, foods, and dialect. This is a heart-felt story of love, longing, frustration, and the search for answers, not only about Isabel’s past but about her future. The pacing of the story is crisp, demanding the reader keep turning the pages to see how Isabel will overcome obstacle after obstacle. Isabel is one of those captivating characters who stayed with me long after I finished the novel. Well done, Mary Behan.

[Adelle Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Isobel is a refreshing read - perfect for a flight or vacation. Isobel is the adult adopted daughter of Canadian immigrants who longs for answers about her true parents. Leaving her idyllic, well-ordered life in rural Wisconsin, she travels first to New Zealand, to confront her aging parents about the secrets they refused to reveal to her. After falling in with an eccentric Maori tour guide and her nephew, she learns a family secret that once again has her rushing to a foreign country for answers. First, Bosnia, then Italy to learn more about who her parents really were. It is perfectly paced and perfectly developed, with realistic characters and exotic locales. And love. Love with twists and turns, and an ending as satisfying as a Wisconsin prairie on a fall day.

[Rex Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme and story arc of Finding Isobel is the quintessential search for knowing who we are. The story is told with a wonderful mixture of a mystery and a thriller. The locations for the story are woven together seamlessly from Wisconsin to New Zealand, Bosnia and Italy. The plot twists are poignant and thrust Isobel in new directions in her quest to learn her own story. Along her journey Isobel matures and makes thoughtful decisions about the direction of her life. She embraces a future
much different from where her story began. When I finished reading this novel I thought - that was a damn good read.

[William Ried · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Behan has published a welcome sequel to A Measure Thread, the poignant story of how Isobel, a young student, meets and helps an elderly woman from Ireland come to grips with her life, and along the way begins to find herself. In Finding Isobel, death and hunger to know her own origins launch Isobel farther across the world and further into self-awareness than she, or we the readers, could have expected. The journey is thoughtful and engaging.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Behan has written a captivating story about love, loss, and finding your place in life. Its complex characters are developed with insight and compassion. The writing is stellar, not predictable or clichéd. This book stands alone, but combined with A Measured Thread, the pair would make a thoughtful gift.

[Mary Behan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gold Medal Winner - Best Adult Fiction eBook 2024 from the Independent Publishers Book Award

[Maggie Ginsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Isobel is a quest for identity prompted by grief, and buoyed by a universal yearning for belonging. In Isobel’s search for answers across the ocean, author Mary Behan explores the ripple effects of war, the complexities of parenthood, and the nuances of reconciliation and redemption. This memorable and moving tale reminds us that family is what we decide it is, and true acceptance can only come from within.