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The Possible World
An astonishing, deeply moving novel about the converging lives of a young boy who witnesses a brutal murder, the doctor who tends to him, and an elderly woman guarding her long buried past.
It seems like just another night shift for Lucy, an overworked ER physician in Providence, Rhode Island, until six-year-old Ben is brought in as the sole survivor from a horrifying crime scene. He’s traumatized and wordless; everything he knows has been taken from him in an afternoon. It’s not clear what he saw, or what he remembers.
Lucy, who’s grappling with a personal upheaval of her own, feels a profound, unexpected connection to the little boy. She wants to help him…but will recovering his memory heal him, or damage him further?
Across town, Clare will soon be turning one hundred years old. She has long believed that the lifetime of secrets she’s been keeping don’t matter to anyone anymore, but a surprising encounter makes her realize that the time has come to tell her story.
As Ben, Lucy, and Clare struggle to confront the events that shattered their lives, something stronger than fate is working to bring them together.
An expertly stitched story that spans nearly a century—from the Great Depression through the Vietnam War era and into the present—The Possible World is a captivating novel about the complicated ways our pasts shape our identities, the power of maternal love, the loneliness born out of loss, and how timeless bonds can help us triumph over grief.
It seems like just another night shift for Lucy, an overworked ER physician in Providence, Rhode Island, until six-year-old Ben is brought in as the sole survivor from a horrifying crime scene. He’s traumatized and wordless; everything he knows has been taken from him in an afternoon. It’s not clear what he saw, or what he remembers.
Lucy, who’s grappling with a personal upheaval of her own, feels a profound, unexpected connection to the little boy. She wants to help him…but will recovering his memory heal him, or damage him further?
Across town, Clare will soon be turning one hundred years old. She has long believed that the lifetime of secrets she’s been keeping don’t matter to anyone anymore, but a surprising encounter makes her realize that the time has come to tell her story.
As Ben, Lucy, and Clare struggle to confront the events that shattered their lives, something stronger than fate is working to bring them together.
An expertly stitched story that spans nearly a century—from the Great Depression through the Vietnam War era and into the present—The Possible World is a captivating novel about the complicated ways our pasts shape our identities, the power of maternal love, the loneliness born out of loss, and how timeless bonds can help us triumph over grief.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published June 26, 2018
389 people are currently reading
9371 people want to read
About the author
Liese O'Halloran Schwarz
3 books369 followersLiese O'Halloran Schwarz grew up in Washington, DC after an early childhood overseas. She went to Harvard and then attended medical school at University of Virginia. While in medical school, she won the Henfield/Transatlantic Review Prize for short fiction and also published her first novel, Near Canaan. She specialized in emergency medicine.
Eventually she returned to writing and her second novel, The Possible World, was published June 2018. Her third novel What Could be Saved published in January 2021.
She currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is at work on the next book.
Eventually she returned to writing and her second novel, The Possible World, was published June 2018. Her third novel What Could be Saved published in January 2021.
She currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is at work on the next book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 581 reviews
June 12, 2018
This book was everything that it says in the description on Goodreads and Edelweiss and more. I was glad for that. I found a lovely story of connections among three characters two of whom are in need of finding a way forward out of loss and grief and a third facing the past she needs to come to terms with as she reaches her 100th birthday. Having said that, I did take issue that an important element of the story was omitted from the description. I thought that it should have been honestly represented as it was something I’d want to know - in a sense what kind of story it is, before I read it. Oddly enough, I have to admit that I may not have read the book if it had been included, and odder yet I’m glad I did read it because there was so much else I liked about it.
Six year old Ben has an excruciatingly brutal experience in his young life and I couldn’t help but be heartbroken for him, fear for him. Clare, a loner living in a nursing home is nearing her 100th birthday, finally opens up and makes a friend to whom she can tell her sad and devastating experiences. Lucy, an ER resident doctor, is experiencing her own sense of loss . It was easy to see how Lucy and Ben would connect, but not immediately obvious on how Clare would fit in . As her story unfolds, the link the author makes is based on the element that is left out of any of the descriptions and it takes either believing in it or at the very least accepting it. Besides these characters who made me want to keep on reading, there’s Leo, whose story is also a sad one. I know I’m sounding a little vague, but I can say definitively that this story is worth reading. I was captivated by Clare’s story especially, but found myself drawn to all of the characters.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Scribner/Simon & Schuster through Edelweiss.
July 4, 2018
The Possible World is everything! 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
This is exactly the kind of book in which I get completely absorbed. I had to remind my family that I was reading because The Possible World had me wrapped. It was engrossing, emotional, and thoughtful, and everything I want a book to be.
The Possible World has three main characters who narrate, and just wait until you have the opportunity to meet them. My love for each overflows.
The book opens with six-year-old Ben attending a friend’s birthday party. Something horrible happens at the party, and Ben is the lone survivor. He is brought to the ER understandably traumatized and mute.
Lucy is an emergency room doctor (the author is formerly one), and she is experiencing a complex separation from her husband when a little boy is brought to the ER. Lucy’s sections have some of her daily life in the ER explored, including some medical jargon. I can think of a book I read with a group recently where medical jargon was thrown around, and it was over most of our heads, disconnecting some of us from the story. Not so in The Possible World. Lucy’s experience in the ER was fascinating, and it helped me to understand her.
In a nursing facility, Clare is about to turn one hundred years old. What a story she has to tell about a lifetime of secrets and loss. To me, she is at the heart of this novel; a steadfast root that grounds it all. Clare’s past and present is explored, and wow, her past is fully immersive. The storytelling here is like a dream.
Actually, all of the storytelling in The Possible World is dream-like. Ethereal. Magical. Ben, Lucy, and Clare are connected in some way, and one gift (there are many gifts) of this story is in the enchantment of that discovery. This book both broke my heart and mended it.
To the author, if you are reading this, I read past the finish line, and you are fortunate to live in a place I consider (blue) heaven on earth. 😊
Thank you the author for this emotionally-resonant book. You left your heart on every page. Thanks also to Scribner for the ARC. The Possible World is now available.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
This is exactly the kind of book in which I get completely absorbed. I had to remind my family that I was reading because The Possible World had me wrapped. It was engrossing, emotional, and thoughtful, and everything I want a book to be.
The Possible World has three main characters who narrate, and just wait until you have the opportunity to meet them. My love for each overflows.
The book opens with six-year-old Ben attending a friend’s birthday party. Something horrible happens at the party, and Ben is the lone survivor. He is brought to the ER understandably traumatized and mute.
Lucy is an emergency room doctor (the author is formerly one), and she is experiencing a complex separation from her husband when a little boy is brought to the ER. Lucy’s sections have some of her daily life in the ER explored, including some medical jargon. I can think of a book I read with a group recently where medical jargon was thrown around, and it was over most of our heads, disconnecting some of us from the story. Not so in The Possible World. Lucy’s experience in the ER was fascinating, and it helped me to understand her.
In a nursing facility, Clare is about to turn one hundred years old. What a story she has to tell about a lifetime of secrets and loss. To me, she is at the heart of this novel; a steadfast root that grounds it all. Clare’s past and present is explored, and wow, her past is fully immersive. The storytelling here is like a dream.
Actually, all of the storytelling in The Possible World is dream-like. Ethereal. Magical. Ben, Lucy, and Clare are connected in some way, and one gift (there are many gifts) of this story is in the enchantment of that discovery. This book both broke my heart and mended it.
To the author, if you are reading this, I read past the finish line, and you are fortunate to live in a place I consider (blue) heaven on earth. 😊
Thank you the author for this emotionally-resonant book. You left your heart on every page. Thanks also to Scribner for the ARC. The Possible World is now available.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
February 20, 2020
Tribulation
The Possible World is a beautiful, fascinating book with 3 characters and their poignant absorbing stories. The novel is narrated chapter by chapter from the perspective of Ben/Leo, Clare and Lucy. If you were to imagine 3 situations and characters that could provide such depth and emotional connection, you would be hard-pressed to choose beyond the personal stories in this novel.
Ben is a young 6-year-old boy who is the only survivor at a children’s birthday party where a killer has slaughtered Mums and children alike. Immediately our own minds wonder what traumatic impact that would have on a young child, which is reinforced through wonderful writing to underpin the gut-wrenching anguish. As a consequence, he suffers from Post Traumatic Amnesia, and informs the doctors and police his name is Leo.
Lucy is a doctor working in a hospital emergency department and she’s dealing with Leo along with other critical trauma cases. The range of emotions an ED doctor must face on a daily basis are enormous and the constant awareness of getting close to the patients while remaining slightly aloof are a challenge. So what happens when a young innocent boy comes in, covered in his mother’s and friends blood having witnessed multiple murders, and you need to keep your shit together to provide professional assistance? Lucy remembers the saying ‘You have to love medicine – it won’t love you back.’ I loved the medical terminology having worked around healthcare for a long time and it is very interesting listening to the language and processes clinical staff engage in during diagnosis and treatment. It is not surprising that Liese O’Halloran Schwarz was a medical doctor working in an Emergency Department, but she doesn’t overindulge the clinical terminology and maintains an engaging flow.
Clare is nearing her 100th birthday and is living in a nursing home. Her days are spent alone trying not to engage with others and while her mind seems quite sharp she remains quiet, creating a belief she has dementia or depression. A faltering relationship with Gloria whom early on Clare reminds her that “‘This is the place you’ve come to die’ I can feel the air go still before my next word. ‘Alone.’” The developing friendship with Gloria gives rise to the opportunity for Clare to tell her story.
There is a pervasive sense of anxiety and frustration with each character as they navigate the personal and professional challenges they face. Each story is destined to come together in a surprising way but how that is achieved is through great story-telling. The only issue I would have is that the pace slackened at times particularly in the middle of the book.
This is a special captivating book exploring deep and really heartbreaking stories. I would like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley, for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.
The Possible World is a beautiful, fascinating book with 3 characters and their poignant absorbing stories. The novel is narrated chapter by chapter from the perspective of Ben/Leo, Clare and Lucy. If you were to imagine 3 situations and characters that could provide such depth and emotional connection, you would be hard-pressed to choose beyond the personal stories in this novel.
Ben is a young 6-year-old boy who is the only survivor at a children’s birthday party where a killer has slaughtered Mums and children alike. Immediately our own minds wonder what traumatic impact that would have on a young child, which is reinforced through wonderful writing to underpin the gut-wrenching anguish. As a consequence, he suffers from Post Traumatic Amnesia, and informs the doctors and police his name is Leo.
“No one has told me what’s wrong with me, but it must have something to do with the emptiness in my memory. I know that it should be different, that there should be a long story like a book I’m in the middle of, with pictures and words filling the pages. When they ask me to open the book of my story, every page is blank.”
Lucy is a doctor working in a hospital emergency department and she’s dealing with Leo along with other critical trauma cases. The range of emotions an ED doctor must face on a daily basis are enormous and the constant awareness of getting close to the patients while remaining slightly aloof are a challenge. So what happens when a young innocent boy comes in, covered in his mother’s and friends blood having witnessed multiple murders, and you need to keep your shit together to provide professional assistance? Lucy remembers the saying ‘You have to love medicine – it won’t love you back.’ I loved the medical terminology having worked around healthcare for a long time and it is very interesting listening to the language and processes clinical staff engage in during diagnosis and treatment. It is not surprising that Liese O’Halloran Schwarz was a medical doctor working in an Emergency Department, but she doesn’t overindulge the clinical terminology and maintains an engaging flow.
Clare is nearing her 100th birthday and is living in a nursing home. Her days are spent alone trying not to engage with others and while her mind seems quite sharp she remains quiet, creating a belief she has dementia or depression. A faltering relationship with Gloria whom early on Clare reminds her that “‘This is the place you’ve come to die’ I can feel the air go still before my next word. ‘Alone.’” The developing friendship with Gloria gives rise to the opportunity for Clare to tell her story.
There is a pervasive sense of anxiety and frustration with each character as they navigate the personal and professional challenges they face. Each story is destined to come together in a surprising way but how that is achieved is through great story-telling. The only issue I would have is that the pace slackened at times particularly in the middle of the book.
This is a special captivating book exploring deep and really heartbreaking stories. I would like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley, for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.
August 29, 2018
LOSS AND THE HUMAN NEED FOR CONNECTION. Three stories, one a young woman named, Lucy, an ER doctor, reeling from a failing marriage. A young boy, named Ben, who insisted he be called Leo, arrives in the ER, the victim of a terrible crime, and a horrific personal tragedy. Lastly, Claire, in a senior center, soon to celebrate her 100th birthday, and her story is both wonderful and heartbreaking. When the story first opens, we hear from all three of these characters, their stories unraveling as we read. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how these stories were going to line up, merge, and fit together.
From the beginning I trusted this author, that she would reveal what I needed to know, when it fit. I was intrigued, and loved not knowing exactly how this would go, it was a unique experience. Usually I'm trying to fit everything together, guess what would happen, not here, I sat back and read, waited. It was sad, lovely, and everything in between. The human need for touch connection, the passing of time and what can change, what cannot, is fully exemplified in this novel. A connection made in the past, that needs to be fulfilled in the present. Possible? Who knows, I certainly don't, but in this authors deft hands, all things seem possible.
A little bit different, a little bit wonderful.
ARC from Edelweiss.
From the beginning I trusted this author, that she would reveal what I needed to know, when it fit. I was intrigued, and loved not knowing exactly how this would go, it was a unique experience. Usually I'm trying to fit everything together, guess what would happen, not here, I sat back and read, waited. It was sad, lovely, and everything in between. The human need for touch connection, the passing of time and what can change, what cannot, is fully exemplified in this novel. A connection made in the past, that needs to be fulfilled in the present. Possible? Who knows, I certainly don't, but in this authors deft hands, all things seem possible.
A little bit different, a little bit wonderful.
ARC from Edelweiss.
October 3, 2018
" Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form." Rumi.
Three people Lucy, Ben and Claire are linked in a way that they could never imagine. Fate has a way of surprising us when we least expect it and destiny has her day in their path through life.
Ben is six years old and is worried about a birthday party he has been invited too. His mother reassures him that he will be okay and so he decides to go. Only Ben will survive the horrors that transpire that day. The day that his friend took his first breath will also be the day he took his last. He is not alone because this is also the fate of both mothers and children that day. Ben is so traumatised that he starts to believe his name is Leo.
Then there is Lucy who is a doctor at a hospital. She is overworked and her stress levels are high with the hours she works. Lucy deals with life's emergency's ever day but even Lucy is shocked when Ben arrives in the trauma unit. Soaked in blood, traumatised and unable to remember,Lucy tries to help this child.
Across town there is another birthday about to happen when Claire turns one hundred. The memories of her life have many secrets she has never shared. Something traumatic happened to Claire and it's been hidden deep in her very soul for what seems an eternity.Three people each with their own stories on a journey with fate.
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The storyline and narration was exceptional. This is the first book that I have listened to by this author and it certainly won't be the last.
Three people Lucy, Ben and Claire are linked in a way that they could never imagine. Fate has a way of surprising us when we least expect it and destiny has her day in their path through life.
Ben is six years old and is worried about a birthday party he has been invited too. His mother reassures him that he will be okay and so he decides to go. Only Ben will survive the horrors that transpire that day. The day that his friend took his first breath will also be the day he took his last. He is not alone because this is also the fate of both mothers and children that day. Ben is so traumatised that he starts to believe his name is Leo.
Then there is Lucy who is a doctor at a hospital. She is overworked and her stress levels are high with the hours she works. Lucy deals with life's emergency's ever day but even Lucy is shocked when Ben arrives in the trauma unit. Soaked in blood, traumatised and unable to remember,Lucy tries to help this child.
Across town there is another birthday about to happen when Claire turns one hundred. The memories of her life have many secrets she has never shared. Something traumatic happened to Claire and it's been hidden deep in her very soul for what seems an eternity.Three people each with their own stories on a journey with fate.
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The storyline and narration was exceptional. This is the first book that I have listened to by this author and it certainly won't be the last.
July 4, 2018
5 most gracious lovely stars
You can find my reviews at: https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
There is beauty in love, in family, in the things one does with others, with the lives we have been given. There is wonderment at the ways of living, its joys and sorrows, as well as the belief that all is possible.
We are introduced to three wonderful characters in this beautifully written novel. There is Lucy, a doctor working the emergency room, overworked, whose marriage is breaking up because of her many hours spent tending to others. There is Ben, a young bright six year old who has witnessed a horrific crime and been its sole survivor. There is Clare, an old woman turning one hundred, who has been keeping secrets, ones that she thinks only matter to her.
Ben is brought into the emergency room and there is a connection made with Lucy. Ben has lost his memory and Lucy wonders if that just might be a good thing with all the Ben has witnessed, but then ...... How these three characters are connected is the momentum of this story and as it continues, with a tinge of the supernatural thrown in, we become immersed in their fates. and their spellbinding stories and links to one another. Their stories are hypnotic drawing you into their lives and making you part of their persona.
There is so much that is wonderful going on in these pages. The wonder, the ability to see into human strengths and weaknesses, and the powerful writing make for a tale that is intriguing and uplifting. The characters enthrall you each with their stories and make this book one that is hard to put down. Truly, this is a book, possessing a wonderfully written prose style that is mesmerizing and enticing. It will captivate you as it did me as you are riveted to the stories of Lucy, Ben, and Clare.
This idea of shared humanity and the connections that we make with one another - that's what, in fact, makes life worth living. (Clint Smith) In this book, the connections that the characters make do indeed make their life worth living.
Thank you to Liese O'Halloran Schwarz, Scribner, and Edelweiss for a copy of this remarkable novel.
You can find my reviews at: https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
There is beauty in love, in family, in the things one does with others, with the lives we have been given. There is wonderment at the ways of living, its joys and sorrows, as well as the belief that all is possible.
We are introduced to three wonderful characters in this beautifully written novel. There is Lucy, a doctor working the emergency room, overworked, whose marriage is breaking up because of her many hours spent tending to others. There is Ben, a young bright six year old who has witnessed a horrific crime and been its sole survivor. There is Clare, an old woman turning one hundred, who has been keeping secrets, ones that she thinks only matter to her.
Ben is brought into the emergency room and there is a connection made with Lucy. Ben has lost his memory and Lucy wonders if that just might be a good thing with all the Ben has witnessed, but then ...... How these three characters are connected is the momentum of this story and as it continues, with a tinge of the supernatural thrown in, we become immersed in their fates. and their spellbinding stories and links to one another. Their stories are hypnotic drawing you into their lives and making you part of their persona.
There is so much that is wonderful going on in these pages. The wonder, the ability to see into human strengths and weaknesses, and the powerful writing make for a tale that is intriguing and uplifting. The characters enthrall you each with their stories and make this book one that is hard to put down. Truly, this is a book, possessing a wonderfully written prose style that is mesmerizing and enticing. It will captivate you as it did me as you are riveted to the stories of Lucy, Ben, and Clare.
This idea of shared humanity and the connections that we make with one another - that's what, in fact, makes life worth living. (Clint Smith) In this book, the connections that the characters make do indeed make their life worth living.
Thank you to Liese O'Halloran Schwarz, Scribner, and Edelweiss for a copy of this remarkable novel.
September 7, 2019
We may profess to want the truth, but the truth can be almost anything. This is a story of the things that go missing in our lives, and how we adapt to the loss. Sad and moving, but never seguing into sappiness.
With reference to the author's note in her acknowledgements, I did read past the finish line and I give my heartiest thanks for a very fine read. I am genuinely sorry to have finished it. Shoot the moon, all five stars for this one.
With reference to the author's note in her acknowledgements, I did read past the finish line and I give my heartiest thanks for a very fine read. I am genuinely sorry to have finished it. Shoot the moon, all five stars for this one.
July 21, 2018
5 ☆ LOVED it!
A deeply moving and unbelievable story that I couldn’t help but get caught up in. I found it wonderful how the characters spanning through a century all connected at the end, even though they didn’t initially know each other at the beginning. And all were very likable! That’s powerful writing! It’s fascinating the author is an emergency-medicine doctor herself as is one of her characters, Lucy.
This is a keeper, unputdownable. I highly recommend it!!
A deeply moving and unbelievable story that I couldn’t help but get caught up in. I found it wonderful how the characters spanning through a century all connected at the end, even though they didn’t initially know each other at the beginning. And all were very likable! That’s powerful writing! It’s fascinating the author is an emergency-medicine doctor herself as is one of her characters, Lucy.
This is a keeper, unputdownable. I highly recommend it!!
June 29, 2018
Heart-breaking, heart-warming, and compelling literary fiction. This book is a must read!
Amazing!
The characters in this novel were unforgettable and I miss them already.
First we meet Ben. He is a trepidatious boy who is small for his age. While attending a birthday party for one of his friends, Ben's world will come crashing down as he experiences a horrific trauma.
"We're all of us obsessed with our own story. Especially those of us near the end of it."
Next we meet Clare. A resident of a nursing home, Clare is nearing her one hundredth birthday. Astoundingly, her mind is sharp as a tack. Sadly, she is quite alone in the world and never has any visitors. We come to know Clare better as she relates her 'story' to Gloria, another nursing home resident, which she tapes. Her long life is fascinating. She was the Catholic daughter of a bookshop owner in Providence. When the Great Depression hit her family suffered many financial setbacks along with the rest of the country. She worked in a weaving mill where she eventually met her husband. Yes, although her adult years were mostly solitary, she was once married, and the mother to a baby son. This all ended during the hurricane which struck Providence, Rhode Island in 1938.
After experiencing devastating loss, she begins her life again as Clare. Self-sufficient and hard-working, she lives in the stone caretaker's cottage situated on a hill bordering on a cemetery. Next door is a sort of 'reform school' for boys which is run by monks. She works endlessly tending the graves, working her garden, and preserving for the coming winter.
Clare makes the acquaintance of one of the boys from the school. She arranges with the monks that he come to her every afternoon to help with her arduous work. He is a scrawny and unloved boy of eleven. His name is Leo. The woman and the boy will come to love each other.
"You have to love medicine - it won't love you back."
Then we meet Dr. Lucy Cole. An ER physician working in the last year of her residency, she is devoted to her career. She has seen it all, and still strives to do her very best for her patients. Her marriage has recently ended. Her husband Joe, unable to cope with her demanding hours cannot find the will to continue their relationship. Although Lucy loves him dearly, she has not yet mastered the illusive work/life balance.
Lucy meets Ben in the ER when he is brought in after the horrific crime he has witnessed. Though he is covered in blood, she discerns that he is not physically injured - yet he seems to have no memory of his former life, or of his mother who worked at the hospital. He says his name is Leo - and his memories of Leo's life do not correspond with those of Ben. Child psycholigists believe that five-year old Ben has disassociative disorder because he claims to be an eleven-year old boy named Leo.
"If nobody knows your name after you die, is it like you never were born at all?"
"It's our secrets that make each of us different from everyone else.
Our secrets, and what we choose to love."
"We have things for a while, and then they're gone,
and we're lucky to have had them at all."
MY THOUGHTS...
As the characters' stories converge, your heart will be broken - and then made whole.
The medical scenes in the novel are written realistically and with compassion as befitting an expert in the field.
The eloquence of the writing throughout the novel ensures that I will follow this author's work avidly.
This novel is at once compelling historical fiction, a testament to love, a treatise on belief and doubt, a story of loneliness and loss, and a foray into reincarnation. Powerful, amazing, literary fiction.
Highly recommended. All the STARS!
Amazing!
The characters in this novel were unforgettable and I miss them already.
First we meet Ben. He is a trepidatious boy who is small for his age. While attending a birthday party for one of his friends, Ben's world will come crashing down as he experiences a horrific trauma.
"We're all of us obsessed with our own story. Especially those of us near the end of it."
Next we meet Clare. A resident of a nursing home, Clare is nearing her one hundredth birthday. Astoundingly, her mind is sharp as a tack. Sadly, she is quite alone in the world and never has any visitors. We come to know Clare better as she relates her 'story' to Gloria, another nursing home resident, which she tapes. Her long life is fascinating. She was the Catholic daughter of a bookshop owner in Providence. When the Great Depression hit her family suffered many financial setbacks along with the rest of the country. She worked in a weaving mill where she eventually met her husband. Yes, although her adult years were mostly solitary, she was once married, and the mother to a baby son. This all ended during the hurricane which struck Providence, Rhode Island in 1938.
After experiencing devastating loss, she begins her life again as Clare. Self-sufficient and hard-working, she lives in the stone caretaker's cottage situated on a hill bordering on a cemetery. Next door is a sort of 'reform school' for boys which is run by monks. She works endlessly tending the graves, working her garden, and preserving for the coming winter.
Clare makes the acquaintance of one of the boys from the school. She arranges with the monks that he come to her every afternoon to help with her arduous work. He is a scrawny and unloved boy of eleven. His name is Leo. The woman and the boy will come to love each other.
"You have to love medicine - it won't love you back."
Then we meet Dr. Lucy Cole. An ER physician working in the last year of her residency, she is devoted to her career. She has seen it all, and still strives to do her very best for her patients. Her marriage has recently ended. Her husband Joe, unable to cope with her demanding hours cannot find the will to continue their relationship. Although Lucy loves him dearly, she has not yet mastered the illusive work/life balance.
Lucy meets Ben in the ER when he is brought in after the horrific crime he has witnessed. Though he is covered in blood, she discerns that he is not physically injured - yet he seems to have no memory of his former life, or of his mother who worked at the hospital. He says his name is Leo - and his memories of Leo's life do not correspond with those of Ben. Child psycholigists believe that five-year old Ben has disassociative disorder because he claims to be an eleven-year old boy named Leo.
"If nobody knows your name after you die, is it like you never were born at all?"
"It's our secrets that make each of us different from everyone else.
Our secrets, and what we choose to love."
"We have things for a while, and then they're gone,
and we're lucky to have had them at all."
MY THOUGHTS...
As the characters' stories converge, your heart will be broken - and then made whole.
The medical scenes in the novel are written realistically and with compassion as befitting an expert in the field.
The eloquence of the writing throughout the novel ensures that I will follow this author's work avidly.
This novel is at once compelling historical fiction, a testament to love, a treatise on belief and doubt, a story of loneliness and loss, and a foray into reincarnation. Powerful, amazing, literary fiction.
Highly recommended. All the STARS!
May 4, 2022
On the one hand, this is a touching novel about several lonely people whose lives converge. On the other hand, it is an exploration of what is possible, asking the reader to move beyond the expected. Although at times I wavered about the direction, by the end I thought it worked beautifully. I like Schwarz's writing so very much - this is my second novel by her and look forward to her next book!
June 24, 2018
I rarely request titles from the "General/Adult Fiction" category on NetGalley but when I do I usually find I have an enoyable time exploring a different genre to my usuals. While there were some plus points to the book there were also quite significant shortfalls.
Okay, Let's begin with the good points. The writing is pretty perfect and Schwarz injects the story with some unique and special ideas adding to its originality. The characters were authentic and realistic which was absolutely necessary for the type of story this is. The multiple viewpoints offer each characters perspective on the situation which I always apprecate. The narrative is slow to begin with while building up the various layers and then picks up to a steady canter for the rest of the way. I had no idea this was about reincarnation but I thought that it was a stroke of genius on the author's part.
So, to the negatives. You've heard of those books that people say don't actually have a story to them? Well, this is one of those. Sometimes I enjoy them, other times I don't. This one? Not so much. It never seemed to go anywhere for me. It has so many positive aspects that I just wish there had been an actual plot of some sort.
I must mention the cover art - extremely beautiful with bold and bright colours, gorgeous!
This is basically a book about the intricacies of human nature and the connections we have with one another even if we don't realise it. I can see I am in the minority with these views and I do feel that most readers would get along just fine with this story. There are certainly a lot more advantages to disadvantages in terms of deciding whether to give this a go. It just wasn't for me.
I would try another title if Liese O'Halloran Schwarz published one in the future as I do feel she has a lot of the ingredients to be a bestseller. Unfortunately, there was a little something missing for me in "The Possible World."
Many thanks to Hutchinson for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Okay, Let's begin with the good points. The writing is pretty perfect and Schwarz injects the story with some unique and special ideas adding to its originality. The characters were authentic and realistic which was absolutely necessary for the type of story this is. The multiple viewpoints offer each characters perspective on the situation which I always apprecate. The narrative is slow to begin with while building up the various layers and then picks up to a steady canter for the rest of the way. I had no idea this was about reincarnation but I thought that it was a stroke of genius on the author's part.
So, to the negatives. You've heard of those books that people say don't actually have a story to them? Well, this is one of those. Sometimes I enjoy them, other times I don't. This one? Not so much. It never seemed to go anywhere for me. It has so many positive aspects that I just wish there had been an actual plot of some sort.
I must mention the cover art - extremely beautiful with bold and bright colours, gorgeous!
This is basically a book about the intricacies of human nature and the connections we have with one another even if we don't realise it. I can see I am in the minority with these views and I do feel that most readers would get along just fine with this story. There are certainly a lot more advantages to disadvantages in terms of deciding whether to give this a go. It just wasn't for me.
I would try another title if Liese O'Halloran Schwarz published one in the future as I do feel she has a lot of the ingredients to be a bestseller. Unfortunately, there was a little something missing for me in "The Possible World."
Many thanks to Hutchinson for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
September 21, 2018
It's 4.5 star in narrator form, IMHO- but I could not help but round it up from the word craft skills of setting the hearts so perfectly into their separate lives. All three- but is there actually only three?
This is also how memory works, especially in age, and particularly within all the tinges of long ago childhoods and natural world placements for it (smells, colors especially). Done superbly for those aspects- better than I've read in many a moon.
It's confusing, but I did figure it out from the first couple pages- but then I've had training to memory and especially to those who can remember their own death as the prologue double pages assume/ state as bottom line.
Some say it isn't so. I'm with Liese O'Halloran Schwarz and know it does happen.
All the narrators were life story worthy but Clare's tale with Gloria is one for my own memory. It's exceptional to make such a true friend for most of the aged years and it doesn't happen to everyone at all nor is it at all uncommon to realize its rarity. And when you lose that friend who goes before you, you just know you will meet again eventually. Clare and Gloria will.
I'll read another of hers anytime and do recommend trying this one. Rarely do you read a switching narrator tale when all the sections are equally superb. Lucy's ER life is absolutely spot on.
This is also how memory works, especially in age, and particularly within all the tinges of long ago childhoods and natural world placements for it (smells, colors especially). Done superbly for those aspects- better than I've read in many a moon.
It's confusing, but I did figure it out from the first couple pages- but then I've had training to memory and especially to those who can remember their own death as the prologue double pages assume/ state as bottom line.
Some say it isn't so. I'm with Liese O'Halloran Schwarz and know it does happen.
All the narrators were life story worthy but Clare's tale with Gloria is one for my own memory. It's exceptional to make such a true friend for most of the aged years and it doesn't happen to everyone at all nor is it at all uncommon to realize its rarity. And when you lose that friend who goes before you, you just know you will meet again eventually. Clare and Gloria will.
I'll read another of hers anytime and do recommend trying this one. Rarely do you read a switching narrator tale when all the sections are equally superb. Lucy's ER life is absolutely spot on.
September 28, 2021
This one was dark and quirky. It had been sitting on my TBR since 2018, and I was happy to finally read it. I didn't think it would be that kind of book, but I actually cried in the last ten pages. But then again, everything moves me.
This book is about three traumatized or heartbroken people. It's about loss, (and reincarnation, and dissociated memory in the face of trauma), but ultimately it's about the bonds that people make. It's about mattering to someone and making those relationships sing.
Its not for everyone, but if it somehow strikes you, I thought it was different and unusual. A worthy read at the right time.
This book is about three traumatized or heartbroken people. It's about loss, (and reincarnation, and dissociated memory in the face of trauma), but ultimately it's about the bonds that people make. It's about mattering to someone and making those relationships sing.
Its not for everyone, but if it somehow strikes you, I thought it was different and unusual. A worthy read at the right time.
September 14, 2018
This is a beautiful, wonderful book. Unquestionably one of the best I have read this year, maybe ever. Really no review I write can capture the talent of this writer or the impact of the book so I won't try. Just go get this book.
February 7, 2018
5 stars
I read the Kindle Edition.
Leo (as he prefers to be known when his real name is Ben), is a young boy, perhaps five or six, who is the sole survivor of a horrific mass murder. He turns out to be the young son of another resident at the hospital with whom Lucy was acquainted whose name was Karen. Clare is nearly one hundred-years old and living in a care center. She is much more on the ball than the home attendants and other residents think she is, although she prefers to be alone with her memories and her books. Lucy Cole is an emergency room doctor who evaluates the boy and carries a heavy load in the ER. This story is told from the points of view of these three people.
Clare makes a truce of sorts with Gloria. Gloria, a former newspaper reporter, is a newcomer to the home and is opinionated. At first Clare didn’t want to be around her, never mind that her room was next to Clare’s. They both love books. She decides she wants to record her memories and Gloria assists her. Clare begins her story.
Leo meets with a psychologist who hypnotizes him and therein Leo tells a very intriguing story. Not about the murders, but about a boy named Leo who is taken into a boys’ home run by monks.
Lucy goes to the place where Leo lives now and brings him toys. They go for a walk after the nurse tells her to be sure to call him Ben. The psychologist believes he may have DID – Dissociative Identity Disorder. While eating ice cream and walking about, Leo tells Lucy he wants to go “back to Clare.” This is where he lived. Lucy is also living with a private pain. Her husband no longer wants to live together. She still loves him, but moves out.
This is a beautiful story. It winds its way through Clare’s nearly one hundred years – though the Great Depression, through Viet Nam, all the way to the present. It is Clare’s story, Leo’s story and Lucy’s story. It is made of memories and ghosts of the past as well as people of the present. It is filled with nostalgia, sadness, pain but most of all, it is a love story. Not romantic love, but rather the bonds of being human and how our past shapes our present. The blurb on NetGalley said that, “something stronger than fate is working to bring them together.” Indeed.
This is a remarkable well written and plotted novel. The author’s use of words could be compared to music. It’s simply beautiful. The timeline transitions were so well done that the reader hardly notices them flowing from one into another. I am looking forward to reading more of Ms. Schwarz’ work.
I want to thank NetGalley and Scribner for forwarding to me a copy of this most remarkable book to read and enjoy.
I read the Kindle Edition.
Leo (as he prefers to be known when his real name is Ben), is a young boy, perhaps five or six, who is the sole survivor of a horrific mass murder. He turns out to be the young son of another resident at the hospital with whom Lucy was acquainted whose name was Karen. Clare is nearly one hundred-years old and living in a care center. She is much more on the ball than the home attendants and other residents think she is, although she prefers to be alone with her memories and her books. Lucy Cole is an emergency room doctor who evaluates the boy and carries a heavy load in the ER. This story is told from the points of view of these three people.
Clare makes a truce of sorts with Gloria. Gloria, a former newspaper reporter, is a newcomer to the home and is opinionated. At first Clare didn’t want to be around her, never mind that her room was next to Clare’s. They both love books. She decides she wants to record her memories and Gloria assists her. Clare begins her story.
Leo meets with a psychologist who hypnotizes him and therein Leo tells a very intriguing story. Not about the murders, but about a boy named Leo who is taken into a boys’ home run by monks.
Lucy goes to the place where Leo lives now and brings him toys. They go for a walk after the nurse tells her to be sure to call him Ben. The psychologist believes he may have DID – Dissociative Identity Disorder. While eating ice cream and walking about, Leo tells Lucy he wants to go “back to Clare.” This is where he lived. Lucy is also living with a private pain. Her husband no longer wants to live together. She still loves him, but moves out.
This is a beautiful story. It winds its way through Clare’s nearly one hundred years – though the Great Depression, through Viet Nam, all the way to the present. It is Clare’s story, Leo’s story and Lucy’s story. It is made of memories and ghosts of the past as well as people of the present. It is filled with nostalgia, sadness, pain but most of all, it is a love story. Not romantic love, but rather the bonds of being human and how our past shapes our present. The blurb on NetGalley said that, “something stronger than fate is working to bring them together.” Indeed.
This is a remarkable well written and plotted novel. The author’s use of words could be compared to music. It’s simply beautiful. The timeline transitions were so well done that the reader hardly notices them flowing from one into another. I am looking forward to reading more of Ms. Schwarz’ work.
I want to thank NetGalley and Scribner for forwarding to me a copy of this most remarkable book to read and enjoy.
March 11, 2018
If only this had just been Clare’s story, and Leo’s story, and their relationship I’d have been so happy. I’d have been delighted if there had been much, much more of Clare’s story and none of Lucy’s or Ben’s, and certainly none of the hospital procedure and hypnotherapy used to link them to the main action.
This author is a great storyteller but for me the structure of this novel felt contrived and distracted from her main achievements, Clare and Leo - strong, credible characters I came to care for. Some lovely writing here, too. I was struck particularly by the image of Clare’s younger selves still existing in her consciousness:
‘We leave shadows of ourselves in the places where we change…..They’re all with me still, an abandoned regiment, flickering separately in the back of my mind, as if I am still living all of those lives at once.’
So a patchy experience for me. I’m glad I read this book but I’d have difficulty wholeheartedly recommending it
With thanks to Random House Cornerstone via NetGalley for the opportunity of an ARC.
This author is a great storyteller but for me the structure of this novel felt contrived and distracted from her main achievements, Clare and Leo - strong, credible characters I came to care for. Some lovely writing here, too. I was struck particularly by the image of Clare’s younger selves still existing in her consciousness:
‘We leave shadows of ourselves in the places where we change…..They’re all with me still, an abandoned regiment, flickering separately in the back of my mind, as if I am still living all of those lives at once.’
So a patchy experience for me. I’m glad I read this book but I’d have difficulty wholeheartedly recommending it
With thanks to Random House Cornerstone via NetGalley for the opportunity of an ARC.
March 6, 2018
This lovely but sad book set in Rhode Island, tells the story of Lucy, overworked Emergency resident, six year old prodigy Ben, small for his age 11 year old Leo, given up by his mother to live in an orphanage, and Clare, the elderly resident of a nursing home.
Lucy, who has recently separated from her husband and is on the verge of burnout from the relentless demands of her job, meets Ben when he is brought into the ER as the only survivor of a horrific mass killing at his friends birthday party. His mother, who also died there, happens to be a new friend of Lucy’s. Admitted to the child psych ward with traumatic amnesia, Ben, who insists his name is Leo, reveals a story under hypnosis about life in an orphanage decades ago. Meanwhile Clare, who has isolated herself for years, decides to tell her life story to a new resident, Gloria, including how she came to live in a cottage by a cemetery and know a little boy called Leo...
This was elegantly written, and I guessed early on that the author must be a doctor, as both the medical details, and the descriptions of grinding Emergency shifts were spot on - it’s been 18 years since I worked in an emergency department, but it brought it all flooding back.
Initially I was only interested in Ben and Lucy’s stories: the author did such a good job portraying Clare as a withdrawn misanthropic curmudgeon that I felt repelled by her, exactly what she was trying to achieve, but as she begins to open up, probably because of the only grudgingly accepted antidepressant they bully her into taking, her story became the most compelling of all.
I don’t normally like reliance on coincidence in plots, but if willing to accept a slight supernatural twist, was happy with the concept of the characters being slowly but inevitably drawn together by some magical force, with even minor characters all appearing at the right time to tie the threads together.
The blurb has a quote from Jodi Picoult praising it, and in some ways it is similar, but I thought actually superior to the Picoult books I have read. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. One final comment: the NG page cover art features a gorgeous image of a multi coloured bird, while the GR page shows a dull image of a house on a hill. I know I would be much more likely to buy a copy, particularly if it were a gift, if it had the beautiful cover.
Lucy, who has recently separated from her husband and is on the verge of burnout from the relentless demands of her job, meets Ben when he is brought into the ER as the only survivor of a horrific mass killing at his friends birthday party. His mother, who also died there, happens to be a new friend of Lucy’s. Admitted to the child psych ward with traumatic amnesia, Ben, who insists his name is Leo, reveals a story under hypnosis about life in an orphanage decades ago. Meanwhile Clare, who has isolated herself for years, decides to tell her life story to a new resident, Gloria, including how she came to live in a cottage by a cemetery and know a little boy called Leo...
This was elegantly written, and I guessed early on that the author must be a doctor, as both the medical details, and the descriptions of grinding Emergency shifts were spot on - it’s been 18 years since I worked in an emergency department, but it brought it all flooding back.
Initially I was only interested in Ben and Lucy’s stories: the author did such a good job portraying Clare as a withdrawn misanthropic curmudgeon that I felt repelled by her, exactly what she was trying to achieve, but as she begins to open up, probably because of the only grudgingly accepted antidepressant they bully her into taking, her story became the most compelling of all.
I don’t normally like reliance on coincidence in plots, but if willing to accept a slight supernatural twist, was happy with the concept of the characters being slowly but inevitably drawn together by some magical force, with even minor characters all appearing at the right time to tie the threads together.
The blurb has a quote from Jodi Picoult praising it, and in some ways it is similar, but I thought actually superior to the Picoult books I have read. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. One final comment: the NG page cover art features a gorgeous image of a multi coloured bird, while the GR page shows a dull image of a house on a hill. I know I would be much more likely to buy a copy, particularly if it were a gift, if it had the beautiful cover.
February 25, 2018
A compelling and gorgeously-written story about how chance meetings can send resounding ripples across generations and deep into the most unexpected and poignant places. If you loved ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, you will more than love THE POSSIBLE WORLD. I HIGHLY recommend this novel!
July 8, 2018
I know I am bucking the trend here but I had a hard time with this book. Towards the end, I was skimming broad sections and just wanted it to end. That tells me a lot. Make no mistake, however, Liese O'Halloran Schwartz is a talented writer. There were some wonderful descriptive pieces but the whole thing just didn't work for me.
For one thing, I found the storyline to be weak and disjointed. Reading a story told in multiple viewpoints is often interesting and engaging for me but not this time. I was least interested in Clare's story, marginally interested in Ben's story, and most interested in Lucy's story. The storyline itself seemed to lack depth and substance and, for me, story is important
Additionally, I wasn't really able to connect with any of the characters and that is critical for me. I found them to be unrealistic and inauthentic. Ben seemed so unlike any little kid I know and Clare flummoxed me. I had more of a connection with Lucy until details of her current relationship situation came to light. Then I lost that connection.
The book was also too predictable for me. Pretty early on I realized what was going on here in terms of the characters and how they were going to intersect. For me, that whole storyline was obvious and, because of its clarity, it felt like a copout. One reason I continued reading the book to the end was just to confirm my predictions.
Again, I will emphasize that this book was not a winner for me. So many other reviewers enjoyed it, however, so don't take my word for it. Try it yourself. I will add that I would happily try another book by Liese O'Halloran Schwartz.
For one thing, I found the storyline to be weak and disjointed. Reading a story told in multiple viewpoints is often interesting and engaging for me but not this time. I was least interested in Clare's story, marginally interested in Ben's story, and most interested in Lucy's story. The storyline itself seemed to lack depth and substance and, for me, story is important
Additionally, I wasn't really able to connect with any of the characters and that is critical for me. I found them to be unrealistic and inauthentic. Ben seemed so unlike any little kid I know and Clare flummoxed me. I had more of a connection with Lucy until details of her current relationship situation came to light. Then I lost that connection.
The book was also too predictable for me. Pretty early on I realized what was going on here in terms of the characters and how they were going to intersect. For me, that whole storyline was obvious and, because of its clarity, it felt like a copout. One reason I continued reading the book to the end was just to confirm my predictions.
Again, I will emphasize that this book was not a winner for me. So many other reviewers enjoyed it, however, so don't take my word for it. Try it yourself. I will add that I would happily try another book by Liese O'Halloran Schwartz.
July 2, 2018
I finished this late last night, then felt bereft. Tempted to go back to the beginning and read it again I loved it that much.
Read
July 12, 2018As I turned page after page I thought, “How is the author going to link these three storylines?”
Oh, wait, she doesn’t really.
I feel cheated.
Oh, wait, she doesn’t really.
I feel cheated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2018
Review can be found on my blog here: https://booksonthebookshelf.wordpress...
Thank you to the Publisher Simon & Schuster, Scribner and Edelweiss for the free eARC copy of this book to read and review.
6 year old Ben is at a birthday party where he witnesses a brutal murder and is the sole survivor of this crime scene. While at the hospital he crosses paths with Lucy, an ER physician at the hospital. Ben doesn't speak when the police, and Lucy herself try to talk to him to see how he is feeling and to get some answers about that fateful and terrifying night. Without Ben talking they are unable to get any answers at all and are left with nothing but question marks about that night. But how can they get Ben to talk? Does he remember what happened?
On the other side of town lives a woman named Clare who will soon be celebrating her 100th birthday. She has kept many secrets from her past for all of these years and didn't think they mattered anymore. That is until one day she realizes she has to tell her secrets.
The question is, what brings all 3 of the main characters together? They were destined to meet, but why?
This book was a fantastic read from the first chapters through to the end. There were many shocking twists and turns that I did not see coming and many surprises to keep your interest throughout. And who doesn't love a good twisty, turny murder mystery?
This book will pull at your heart strings and make you feel many different emotions. I loved how the book was written, how you get a glimpse into each character and their lives, and get an understanding of how they all come together in the end. Such a compelling, heart warming story that you simply cannot put down. A must read to add to your collection.
Thank you to the Publisher Simon & Schuster, Scribner and Edelweiss for the free eARC copy of this book to read and review.
6 year old Ben is at a birthday party where he witnesses a brutal murder and is the sole survivor of this crime scene. While at the hospital he crosses paths with Lucy, an ER physician at the hospital. Ben doesn't speak when the police, and Lucy herself try to talk to him to see how he is feeling and to get some answers about that fateful and terrifying night. Without Ben talking they are unable to get any answers at all and are left with nothing but question marks about that night. But how can they get Ben to talk? Does he remember what happened?
On the other side of town lives a woman named Clare who will soon be celebrating her 100th birthday. She has kept many secrets from her past for all of these years and didn't think they mattered anymore. That is until one day she realizes she has to tell her secrets.
The question is, what brings all 3 of the main characters together? They were destined to meet, but why?
This book was a fantastic read from the first chapters through to the end. There were many shocking twists and turns that I did not see coming and many surprises to keep your interest throughout. And who doesn't love a good twisty, turny murder mystery?
This book will pull at your heart strings and make you feel many different emotions. I loved how the book was written, how you get a glimpse into each character and their lives, and get an understanding of how they all come together in the end. Such a compelling, heart warming story that you simply cannot put down. A must read to add to your collection.
September 19, 2022
Terrific storytelling here that spins out the lives of a near-centenarian named Clare with a splinter in her heart and a long, fascinating story to share; a thirty-something ER resident named Lucy working brutal hours under extreme conditions who is at a turning point in her marriage; and an almost-seven year old boy named Ben who witnesses a horrific crime that erases one memory but unleashes a lifetime of others. Schwarz does a magnificent job weaving these three unrelated lives together into a completely engrossing journey of improbability and possibility. The peripheral characters in this novel are superb. There is tension on every page, which almost made me give this one up, but the characters called me back and the ending was worth the angst. A gripping, satisfying read that took me outside my normal.
“God has His reasons, they would say. There was a time when I would have believed this too. But that was a long time ago, and now I see it differently. To me, it seems more than possible that not all miracles come from God.” ~ Clare
“God has His reasons, they would say. There was a time when I would have believed this too. But that was a long time ago, and now I see it differently. To me, it seems more than possible that not all miracles come from God.” ~ Clare
February 12, 2018
Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of Liese O’Halloran Schwarz’s The Possible World, A Novel. The rating and review are my own thoughts and opinions, and have not been influenced by receiving this book to read.
The Possible World is a story narrated from 3 points of view. Ben - a young child who survives the frightful trauma of witnessing a murder scene and is left with no memory, Lucy - the ER doctor who meets Ben upon intake into the hospital, and Clare - a resident of an elder care facility with a secret past she’s kept long buried. Each storyline is beautifully executed, and expertly interwoven.
Clare’s story, because it spans nearly 100 yers, is a tale rich with experiences and critical choices. We learn about her young life just before the Great Depression, and the path she chose was not an easy one, but it was hers alone and she owned it.
Ben’s sorrowful story is captivating as he struggles to make sense of the snippets he begins to recall after his trauma. Scared, confused, and lonely, he undergoes hypnosis as everyone around him try to piece together who he is, and why he thinks he’s Leo and not Ben.
Lucy is an extremely competent ER doctor managing the clinical environment, but is adrift when it comes taking control of her personal life. Her husband is the type you just cannot like even though she wants it to work out.
This is a really, really good story that’s beautifully written. The transitions between the POVs are very well done. Time spent reading this book is very satisfying. Not because of how it ends, but because of how it’s told.
The Possible World is a story narrated from 3 points of view. Ben - a young child who survives the frightful trauma of witnessing a murder scene and is left with no memory, Lucy - the ER doctor who meets Ben upon intake into the hospital, and Clare - a resident of an elder care facility with a secret past she’s kept long buried. Each storyline is beautifully executed, and expertly interwoven.
Clare’s story, because it spans nearly 100 yers, is a tale rich with experiences and critical choices. We learn about her young life just before the Great Depression, and the path she chose was not an easy one, but it was hers alone and she owned it.
Ben’s sorrowful story is captivating as he struggles to make sense of the snippets he begins to recall after his trauma. Scared, confused, and lonely, he undergoes hypnosis as everyone around him try to piece together who he is, and why he thinks he’s Leo and not Ben.
Lucy is an extremely competent ER doctor managing the clinical environment, but is adrift when it comes taking control of her personal life. Her husband is the type you just cannot like even though she wants it to work out.
This is a really, really good story that’s beautifully written. The transitions between the POVs are very well done. Time spent reading this book is very satisfying. Not because of how it ends, but because of how it’s told.
December 10, 2020
Okay. I just loved the first section of this book - wonderful characters, a good dose of doctor humour, some funny situations (Coma Cop, enough said) and great possibilities for character interaction. Unfortunately - and I think this is an issue of "it's me, not you" - the concept of took the place of a plot, and it all devolved into sentimental slop which I mostly skipped over. The Ben subplot, which I thought was going to be the major thrust of the book, turned out to be the almost forgotten foundation for something else. It's just me, but I despise sentimental glurge. If that's your thing, by all means make a pot of tea and read your heart out. I'd just prefer realism over the alternative.
I also had a small issue with the voices here - at least 2 of the narrators sounded too alike, which was offputting since they were almost 90 years apart in age. I have met a few 100-year-old people and they sure didn't speak like Clare does here, and certainly no 11-year-old boys sound like Leo. They both sounded like 40-year-old women in 2019.
I'd read any future book by this author, even sequels about these characters, provided it had a real-world-based plot. 2.5 stars rounded down because I skipped so much and didn't read the whole thing.
I also had a small issue with the voices here - at least 2 of the narrators sounded too alike, which was offputting since they were almost 90 years apart in age. I have met a few 100-year-old people and they sure didn't speak like Clare does here, and certainly no 11-year-old boys sound like Leo. They both sounded like 40-year-old women in 2019.
I'd read any future book by this author, even sequels about these characters, provided it had a real-world-based plot. 2.5 stars rounded down because I skipped so much and didn't read the whole thing.
February 19, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an E-arc of this title in exchange for my honest review. Wow. I stayed up reading this book long into the night, knowing it would be worth being tired the next day. I love an alternating narration, and The Possible World tells the story from 3 points of view, one of whom is a young child. This seems like it would be difficult to do well, but Schwartz has done just that. A young boy survives a terrible crime, and his story soon gets woven with the past, with a friend of his mom's, and with their back stories. I don't want to give any spoilers, I will say this story eloquently and beautifully weaves the stories together for such an interesting book. This is a book that was bittersweet for me...I wanted to finish it, yet I wish I could have savored it even more. This one is highly recommended.
March 28, 2018
What a stunning story. Three people who have never met but whose lives are affected by each other's actions. This book deals with second chances and a persuasive argument for reincarnation or past lives. Clare is almost 100 years old and living a lonely life in a nursing home. One of the residents makes it her mission to become friends and throughout the book Clare tells Gloria her life's story. Lucy is an ER doctor who treats Ben, a young boy who survives a massacre. Ben wakes up in the ER believing his name is Leo and is searching for a woman named Clare who once took care of him. I couldn't put this book down. The three/four tales weave together so seamlessly. This is an author I'll be watching for, she creates very believable characters and writes with compassion and forward thinking. You'll want to have this on your "Keeper" shelf.
July 11, 2018
I am rounding up a 3.5 review to 4 stars because of the lovely writing and wonderful characterizations. The problem I had was in the (to me) slightly creaking structure of this book. Told from many points of view, it got a bit confusing to me when it toggled between Ben and Leo, and it took awhile to adjust to time and place differences. The beginning scene is both horrific and told very well. I also thought that the medical scenes with Lucy, the ER Dr., seemed realistic.
The chapters on Lucy, Ben, Leo and Clare link them all together. At first they seem like disparate, isolated stories, but the author makes the connection, and the reader sees it coming about half way through the book. It's a leap of faith, but a sweet one. Most of the main characters are layered and deeply nuanced.
I enjoyed the prose and the book's intention, and would read this author again.
The chapters on Lucy, Ben, Leo and Clare link them all together. At first they seem like disparate, isolated stories, but the author makes the connection, and the reader sees it coming about half way through the book. It's a leap of faith, but a sweet one. Most of the main characters are layered and deeply nuanced.
I enjoyed the prose and the book's intention, and would read this author again.
July 27, 2018
I absolutely loved this book! I wish I could give it more than 5 stars! I read the last 200 pages in a day. I couldn't get enough of this story of Lucy, Ben, and Clare. Three strangers who meet entirely by chance. Lucy, an ER doctor who treats the young Ben after he witnesses a brutal murder. Clare, the almost 100 year old woman who weaves herself into this heartfelt story. Cliffhanger a few chapters toward the end, but it wraps itself up into an amazing tale of ordinary people who are brought together. I really and truly enjoyed this read. I recommend to all who love a great, character-driven story.
June 8, 2020
Finding my mind constantly drifting while in the middle of a paragraph is a bad sign. This book simply did not hold my attention. There was too much detail, not enough connection. In general I'm not a fan of stories told from multiple perspectives, and I should have steered clear of this one. Very underwhelming.
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