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Some Things That Stay
A stunning first novel about a young girl's coming-of-age in the 1950s.
Tamara Anderson's father is a landscape artist who quickly tires of the scenery, so every year her family seeks out new locations for his inspiration. When the Andersons move to a farmhouse in Sherman, New York, in the spring of 1954, fifteen-year-old Tamara and her mother want to settle down and make it home. Sherman begins to work a strange magic on Tamara and her siblings: there's the proselytizing family in the tar-paper house across the street; the dairy cow that becomes a beloved pet; the dead boy who used to live in Tamara's bedroom; her friend Brenda, who teaches her to swear; and Brenda's big brother, Rusty, an irresistible freckle-faced redhead.
While Tamara experiences her first real year of happiness, her mother is diagnosed with tuberculosis, forcing her into a sanatorium. Tamara struggles with her desire to stay in Sherman, her fear of losing her mother, and her anger at being left in charge of two younger siblings while her father escapes into the world of his art.
Tamara Anderson's father is a landscape artist who quickly tires of the scenery, so every year her family seeks out new locations for his inspiration. When the Andersons move to a farmhouse in Sherman, New York, in the spring of 1954, fifteen-year-old Tamara and her mother want to settle down and make it home. Sherman begins to work a strange magic on Tamara and her siblings: there's the proselytizing family in the tar-paper house across the street; the dairy cow that becomes a beloved pet; the dead boy who used to live in Tamara's bedroom; her friend Brenda, who teaches her to swear; and Brenda's big brother, Rusty, an irresistible freckle-faced redhead.
While Tamara experiences her first real year of happiness, her mother is diagnosed with tuberculosis, forcing her into a sanatorium. Tamara struggles with her desire to stay in Sherman, her fear of losing her mother, and her anger at being left in charge of two younger siblings while her father escapes into the world of his art.
Deeply moving, with a profound understanding of family dynamics and adolescent anguish, Some Things That Stay introduces an unforgettable narrative voice and marks the arrival of a distinctive, new American talent.
275 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
October 11, 2008
Excellent prose (great lines I wish I had written/could write); perfect-pitch POV 15 year-old; deeply moving.
August 11, 2015
Защо ТОЛКОВА много ми хареса (май повече от „Вино от глухарчета“ и колкото „Стъкленият замък“)? Сигурно заради:
- любимата ми Америка
- всички деца
- всички възрастни
- всички семейства
- всички мъки, колебания и радости
- детския глас (младежки всъщност)
- преводачката
„Що се хилиш?“
„Бая горещо, а?“
„Ми то…“
„Искам, я.“
„Глей си работата.“
„Тъй не бива.“
„А тъй, моето момиче.“
Добре че бяха първите „тръпки“, за да издържи на трудностите Тамара.
„Той протяга дясната си ръка, хваща лявата ми гърда и леко я стисва, както се проверява дали една круша е узряла. После вдига и другата ръка и обгръща двете ми гърди. Ако произвеждаха сутиени като ръцете му, щяха да изкарат милион долари.
Целуваме се и той гали гърдите ми, а моите ръце шарят ту по гърба му, ти отстрани, ту из косата му. Пада голямо мърдане и наместване, докато не се озоваваме легнали с лице един към друг. Спрели сме да се целуваме просто за да си поемем дух. Въздухът е тежък, а от тоя аромат на мента имам чувството, че плувам в ментов чай. Ръсти ме целува леко по устните, после по врата – което е най-приятното усещане на света – и след това слиза към гърдите ми. Впива устни в зърното ми и почва да го смуче. Струва ми се, че ей сега ще умра; после усещам ръката му, топла и твърда, на слабините ми и едва не простенвам високо на глас. Хубаво е, та чак не се трае.”
А писмото на стр. 194-195 от бащата до майката за мен беше сълзотворно.
„Ти си ми като компас. Нужна си ми.“
- любимата ми Америка
- всички деца
- всички възрастни
- всички семейства
- всички мъки, колебания и радости
- детския глас (младежки всъщност)
- преводачката
„Що се хилиш?“
„Бая горещо, а?“
„Ми то…“
„Искам, я.“
„Глей си работата.“
„Тъй не бива.“
„А тъй, моето момиче.“
Добре че бяха първите „тръпки“, за да издържи на трудностите Тамара.
„Той протяга дясната си ръка, хваща лявата ми гърда и леко я стисва, както се проверява дали една круша е узряла. После вдига и другата ръка и обгръща двете ми гърди. Ако произвеждаха сутиени като ръцете му, щяха да изкарат милион долари.
Целуваме се и той гали гърдите ми, а моите ръце шарят ту по гърба му, ти отстрани, ту из косата му. Пада голямо мърдане и наместване, докато не се озоваваме легнали с лице един към друг. Спрели сме да се целуваме просто за да си поемем дух. Въздухът е тежък, а от тоя аромат на мента имам чувството, че плувам в ментов чай. Ръсти ме целува леко по устните, после по врата – което е най-приятното усещане на света – и след това слиза към гърдите ми. Впива устни в зърното ми и почва да го смуче. Струва ми се, че ей сега ще умра; после усещам ръката му, топла и твърда, на слабините ми и едва не простенвам високо на глас. Хубаво е, та чак не се трае.”
А писмото на стр. 194-195 от бащата до майката за мен беше сълзотворно.
„Ти си ми като компас. Нужна си ми.“
February 14, 2013
This is one of the best books I have ever read in my entire life. I tend to like most books, even though I am a critic and can pick things apart. But this book, I love. This book is SO authentic. The writing is spare and unadorned, and there isn't even a lot of dialog. But Willis can paint such a picture with so few words. The characters are fully realized and the story is heartbreaking and uplifting all at once. I moved a lot as a child and so maybe it spoke to me more than it would others, but the themes are pretty universal. I also love that it is set in the 1950's. This is one that I will keep on my shelves at home and read more than once.
April 20, 2009
What can I say -- I agree wholeheartedly with Margueya's review, because it very accurately describes my experience of this book. Tamara, a cranky 15-year-old with perpetual PMS, has moved constantly throughout her childhood with her family in order to satisfy her father's artistic muse. This aspect of the book reminded me of The Glass Castle A Memoir at first, leading me to expect a similar story. It became clear, though, that Tamara's family was far more functional although they were certainly quirky in their own ways, especially for the 1950s and the small towns they frequented -- Tamara's mother's compulsion to flaunt her atheism and aggressively challenge religious believers, her father's unapologetically displayed nude paintings of family members, her mother's enthusiastic tendency to offer way too much information to her kids and their friends, etc. Tamara is sick of moving around, increasingly angry and hostile as she gradually learns of her mother's serious illness, and experiencing the classic coming-of-age lust-based romance.
Initially, I was taken with the writing (some great turns of phrase here) and with the authenticity of Tamara's 15-year-old voice. So many authors try to do teenagers and end up with their characters sounding either way too young, wise beyond their years, or worst of all (and most common), alternating between the two. Tamara really read, at least to my mind, like a genuine 15-year-old girl with all her expressed cynicism masking an unconscious openness and naivete at appropriate junctures.
As the book progressed, though, I began to dislike Tamara more and more and to get sick of reading about her. The depressing nature of the story's central theme, the mother's serious illness and its effect on the family, didn't help either. The coming-of-age romance felt clicheed and overly graphic to me, and was difficult for me to empathize with although that may simply be a function of my background (I've read books which were better able to elicit my empathy for experiences which were alien to me, though, so I can't really blame my background for this one).
Although the book touched on interesting issues of religion vs. atheism and coming to terms with life as a teenager and the fallacies of adults, it didn't manage to be The Catcher in the Rye; it just read like a young adult book that started out with potential but increasingly went south.
Sorry, Mintzi, for yet another negative review -- hope you won't let this deter you from sending books my way in the future! ;)
Initially, I was taken with the writing (some great turns of phrase here) and with the authenticity of Tamara's 15-year-old voice. So many authors try to do teenagers and end up with their characters sounding either way too young, wise beyond their years, or worst of all (and most common), alternating between the two. Tamara really read, at least to my mind, like a genuine 15-year-old girl with all her expressed cynicism masking an unconscious openness and naivete at appropriate junctures.
As the book progressed, though, I began to dislike Tamara more and more and to get sick of reading about her. The depressing nature of the story's central theme, the mother's serious illness and its effect on the family, didn't help either. The coming-of-age romance felt clicheed and overly graphic to me, and was difficult for me to empathize with although that may simply be a function of my background (I've read books which were better able to elicit my empathy for experiences which were alien to me, though, so I can't really blame my background for this one).
Although the book touched on interesting issues of religion vs. atheism and coming to terms with life as a teenager and the fallacies of adults, it didn't manage to be The Catcher in the Rye; it just read like a young adult book that started out with potential but increasingly went south.
Sorry, Mintzi, for yet another negative review -- hope you won't let this deter you from sending books my way in the future! ;)
December 28, 2008
INitially the turns of phrase and fresh insight on the part of the fifteen year old narrator was really impressive, and I thought, wow, four stars in the making. Then I started to wonder, is this a YA book??? (which would be a really odd experience and quite a shift) in which case it's a good YA book but a lousy adult one. Then at a certain point it wasn't even a good YA book and so we end at two stars.
Basically it's a coming of age novel whereby an angry and attitudinal teen has to move all the time so her dad can paint and her mom comes down with TB. So I guess I am supposed to feel bad for her, but the author focuses a lot more on her unlovable obnoxiousness instead of any redeeming features. She is a real jerk, and while it is supposed to be a, oh look at the pain she is feeling. THATS why she acts out, I more felt like, stop being a jerk. once you don't like the narrator, it's basically over.
Basically it's a coming of age novel whereby an angry and attitudinal teen has to move all the time so her dad can paint and her mom comes down with TB. So I guess I am supposed to feel bad for her, but the author focuses a lot more on her unlovable obnoxiousness instead of any redeeming features. She is a real jerk, and while it is supposed to be a, oh look at the pain she is feeling. THATS why she acts out, I more felt like, stop being a jerk. once you don't like the narrator, it's basically over.
May 20, 2008
I really felt like I was reading this girl's (Tamara) diary and the true feelings that she had. I could empathise and understand why she would feel certain ways because of her life experiences and what she had been taught all her life.
I liked how it ended; just like an ending to a diary - nothing fantastical or life changing, but just life goes on and we will have to see what happens next when she writes in a new diary. One thing to be warned is that it does have a fair amount of swearing and a little sex.
I liked how it ended; just like an ending to a diary - nothing fantastical or life changing, but just life goes on and we will have to see what happens next when she writes in a new diary. One thing to be warned is that it does have a fair amount of swearing and a little sex.
September 5, 2007
Technicolor characters, great pacing and plot, my only criticism is the book is set in 1954, but sometimes I can see 21st century petticoats peeking out from under the poodle skirts.
April 21, 2011
The first part of the book is four stars. The rest of it is barely two stars. This has all been done before---rural setting, coming-of-age, offbeat parents. Tamara's voice starts off strong but just as you're starting to care about her, she veers off into that all-too-familiar detached teenage girl voice that ruins so many novels. The book won a lot of praise from high places (NYTimes, Stephen Crane Award, Cleveland Arts Prize, Publishers Weekly) so I thought it was odd that the book cover chose to make a one-word blurb from Entertainment Weekly so prominent: "funny." That was not the word I would have chosen; I don't recall anything funny in the book. Very misleading!
I thought Tamara's family was annoying, especially the sister Megan who could have easily been written out of the book with no damage done to the narrative. Couldn't stand the parents. I did like the supporting cast, the Burns and Murphy families. The idea of Timothy could have been developed more too. Overall I didn't hate the book but I had really wanted to love it. Last thing--- 1954 seemed like such an arbitrary date. The book did not seem to be set in any particular time or place. Once in a while they mentioned radios rather than TV but that was it. It seemed to be set in the 1970s in my mind, based on the descriptions and characters. If you are going to set a book in such a specific time, make it authentic.
I thought Tamara's family was annoying, especially the sister Megan who could have easily been written out of the book with no damage done to the narrative. Couldn't stand the parents. I did like the supporting cast, the Burns and Murphy families. The idea of Timothy could have been developed more too. Overall I didn't hate the book but I had really wanted to love it. Last thing--- 1954 seemed like such an arbitrary date. The book did not seem to be set in any particular time or place. Once in a while they mentioned radios rather than TV but that was it. It seemed to be set in the 1970s in my mind, based on the descriptions and characters. If you are going to set a book in such a specific time, make it authentic.
December 16, 2015
An endearing glimpse into the lives of a family, seen through the eyes of a teenager, Tamara, the eldest of three kids.
The thing about this family--they MOVED, every year, and one year, Tamara put her foot down and declared she was not going to move again.
Through some vignettes and chapters that were almost like short stories, the reader gets to see Tamara, her siblings and her mother and father as they interact with each other and their neighbors.
I liked that most of the story took place in the 50's, since those were my growing-up years, and I could relate to some of the things that were dealt with here, like the scandalous notion of atheism.
Most of all, I liked watching Tamara evolve and grow: people and things that she first felt critical of eventually are seen in a more accepting light.
P.S. I read this book all because one of my friends here on Goodreads gave a succinct review of this book. How 'bout that? A plus for the existence of Goodreads!
The thing about this family--they MOVED, every year, and one year, Tamara put her foot down and declared she was not going to move again.
Through some vignettes and chapters that were almost like short stories, the reader gets to see Tamara, her siblings and her mother and father as they interact with each other and their neighbors.
I liked that most of the story took place in the 50's, since those were my growing-up years, and I could relate to some of the things that were dealt with here, like the scandalous notion of atheism.
Most of all, I liked watching Tamara evolve and grow: people and things that she first felt critical of eventually are seen in a more accepting light.
P.S. I read this book all because one of my friends here on Goodreads gave a succinct review of this book. How 'bout that? A plus for the existence of Goodreads!
December 21, 2015
I drug my feet finishing this only because I did not want it to end.
Usually this phenomenon would be plot related or character related but this time I just wanted to keep reading this writer's sentences.
I harbored no preconceived notions of how it would all wrap up for Tamara and her family but I wanted to go wherever she went and believe whatever she believed and learn whatever she learned.
Stunning. Beautiful use of domestic details to convey situations and to provide contrast and metaphor. Brilliant use of a teen's reluctant acceptance of life's complicity to achieve aha moments in this reader's ongoing self analysis.
Usually this phenomenon would be plot related or character related but this time I just wanted to keep reading this writer's sentences.
I harbored no preconceived notions of how it would all wrap up for Tamara and her family but I wanted to go wherever she went and believe whatever she believed and learn whatever she learned.
Stunning. Beautiful use of domestic details to convey situations and to provide contrast and metaphor. Brilliant use of a teen's reluctant acceptance of life's complicity to achieve aha moments in this reader's ongoing self analysis.
April 18, 2008
I liked this book enough to stay interested but not really enough to be memorable.
The writer's style is easy to read and paints a detailed description of where everything was set.
The main character Tamara is both lovable and completely annoying in a teenager way. I found myself wondering why she was such a bitch all the time and then remembered..."Oh yah, I was like that."
I would recommend this book for a plane trip but I probably won't remember it long enough to suggest it.
The writer's style is easy to read and paints a detailed description of where everything was set.
The main character Tamara is both lovable and completely annoying in a teenager way. I found myself wondering why she was such a bitch all the time and then remembered..."Oh yah, I was like that."
I would recommend this book for a plane trip but I probably won't remember it long enough to suggest it.
June 17, 2008
This is about a family who are always on the move so that the father can find new landscapes to paint. They land up in a remote, bleak country area which begins to feel like home. The novel has faded in my mind a bit since I read it, but I do remember that it gives a powerful feeling of what it is like to live in the middle of nowhere. I also remember the central mother/father/daughter relationships being strongly drawn.
May 21, 2021
Very well done for the debut in literature. Refreshing and nicely written.
The questions this novel raises are very interesting.
How do the kids fell in a family where parents are deeply in love with each other? The kids' feelings, needs and wishes fade into the background.
Are the children obliged to embrace the beliefs and principles of the parents? They are not. Children should be given a chance to experience all the options.
Good deal of book is also tells us about the burden of being the older sibling.
Great book, definitely recommended!
The questions this novel raises are very interesting.
How do the kids fell in a family where parents are deeply in love with each other? The kids' feelings, needs and wishes fade into the background.
Are the children obliged to embrace the beliefs and principles of the parents? They are not. Children should be given a chance to experience all the options.
Good deal of book is also tells us about the burden of being the older sibling.
Great book, definitely recommended!
May 24, 2025
Got this book at a dollar book store (Dollar Book Swap for anyone still in Dayton 🤪) bc the cover caught my eye and the blurb sounded interesting. I ended up really enjoying it! A pretty short read of an unorthodox family in 1950s America, from the 15 yo daughter POV, you get to experience her coming of age story with her. She’s a very angry and frankly immature 15 yo, which was interesting but occasionally annoying. It was fun watching her (try to) figure out God, death, and familial, romantic, and platonic relationships.
July 1, 2022
Actual Rating: 4.5/5
My Original Thoughts (2001):
Excellent story! I love the author's writing style. Believable characters. Reminded me of Jennifer Lauck's memoir, Blackbird. A real page-turner. Couldn't put it down.
My Current Thoughts:
I read this one in less than two days, so it must have been as good as my rating indicates. I remember that the main character was responsible for her younger brother and sister, cooking and cleaning for the entire family when her mother became ill. Other than that, I don't remember much about the book (which I read with an online book group) and haven't read anything else by this author.
My Original Thoughts (2001):
Excellent story! I love the author's writing style. Believable characters. Reminded me of Jennifer Lauck's memoir, Blackbird. A real page-turner. Couldn't put it down.
My Current Thoughts:
I read this one in less than two days, so it must have been as good as my rating indicates. I remember that the main character was responsible for her younger brother and sister, cooking and cleaning for the entire family when her mother became ill. Other than that, I don't remember much about the book (which I read with an online book group) and haven't read anything else by this author.
September 24, 2022
Sarah Willis has a style of writing that is beautiful and poetic. She paints such vivid pictures with her words that it is easy to slip into the story and lose yourself. Which is what makes it so uncomfortable to read the graphic descriptions of 15 year old Tamara’s first sexual experiences. This completely ruined the story for me as I could not get past the few borderline pornographic descriptions of children.
January 6, 2022
I don’t remember how I got the name of this book to add to my to read list as it was published 20 years ago, but I am so glad I read it. It is a book about family, love,loss, and what is important. Tamara, the 15 year old narrator, is so vivid. She tells the story of her family and her feelings so completely, the reader feels part of story. Wills’ writing is also vivid. She captures the settling, the sounds and the emotions in beautiful, but spare, language.
October 9, 2010
I did not like this book. However, despite the labeled star system (which is an evil annoyance I'd have to address in a long diatribe of it's own) this book definitely deserves more than one star. Willis demonstrates a wonderful ear for language. The writing is silky smooth, and she demonstrates a considerable gift for imagery voice and diction. Willis' Tamara is a distinctive, well-defined narrator. The text as a whole is literate and well-crafted.
Unfortunately, technical skill alone does not a great book make. Willis' Tamara may have the good qualities I ascribed to her as a narrator, but she also seems at times a bit jaded and world-weary for a teen. I know the teenage world-weary jaded pose as a high school teacher, and Willis gets the sound right, but to my mind the feel is off.
In addition, while Willis tackles some big questions (the existence of God, what if anything is left of us as we die) without much success. Tamara is at her best as a character in her world revolves around me teenager realism when she places her cosmic questions on a level with concerns about the boy next door and being (or not being) popular at school. Unfortunately, her religious questing, which mostly airs one-sided, tired reasons for disposing of God and religion, (while suggesting in a very modern literary way the communal comforts of religious worship)quickly becomes a one note bore. It is apparent almost immediately that, while the religious characters are portrayed as harmlessly sympathetic, this book is too literary to have a serious conversation on the subject. All the arguments presented argue against the existence of a god, and no serious attempt is made by the author to present any other point of view, except once in which the older neighbor girl, Helen, speaks of the neccessity of having faith in order to know religious things. But even this seems beyond Tamara as it is passed over with out any consideration, and dismissed, it seems, as an obvious contradiction which is not worthy of more in depth consideration. This is a dismissal of faith, not a discussion. I don't mind that the arguments pile up on the atheist side, especially with a professed atheist as the narrator. However, in a world like that constructed in this book where the arguments of atheism stand SO much stronger against the apparently indefensibly naive belief of religious people, why would the narrator declare a warm and fuzzy agnosticism (a very chic and tellingly relativistic response)except that this allows everyone to be right? After Tamara's experience, the only position that makes sense given what the book has established is a hardening of her position of an atheist, a further identification with her mother's position. Apparently this wasn't ever really an option either.
My other issue with the text is its embrace of the current stereotype of the bumbling, ineffectual, unnecessary father. The fathers in the story are all powerless, purposeless figures who seem to play little to no role in the lives of their families. This is especially true of Stuart, the narrator's father. Men are not any more naturally this way than women are naturally perfect mothers. Stuart might be abn example of the flaky artist stereo type as well, which would still leave him a stereotype, but he plays a prominent enough role in the text that I at least wanted a reason for his ineffectualness beyond his Y chromosome and his being an artist. Unfortunately the text doesn't give me anything here.
I can see where others may greatly enjoy this book, and I may be heaping more general literary frustrations on a single text that simply reflects prevailing attitudes, but despite the skill of the writer and some beautifully written moments this book was ultimately a failure for me.
Unfortunately, technical skill alone does not a great book make. Willis' Tamara may have the good qualities I ascribed to her as a narrator, but she also seems at times a bit jaded and world-weary for a teen. I know the teenage world-weary jaded pose as a high school teacher, and Willis gets the sound right, but to my mind the feel is off.
In addition, while Willis tackles some big questions (the existence of God, what if anything is left of us as we die) without much success. Tamara is at her best as a character in her world revolves around me teenager realism when she places her cosmic questions on a level with concerns about the boy next door and being (or not being) popular at school. Unfortunately, her religious questing, which mostly airs one-sided, tired reasons for disposing of God and religion, (while suggesting in a very modern literary way the communal comforts of religious worship)quickly becomes a one note bore. It is apparent almost immediately that, while the religious characters are portrayed as harmlessly sympathetic, this book is too literary to have a serious conversation on the subject. All the arguments presented argue against the existence of a god, and no serious attempt is made by the author to present any other point of view, except once in which the older neighbor girl, Helen, speaks of the neccessity of having faith in order to know religious things. But even this seems beyond Tamara as it is passed over with out any consideration, and dismissed, it seems, as an obvious contradiction which is not worthy of more in depth consideration. This is a dismissal of faith, not a discussion. I don't mind that the arguments pile up on the atheist side, especially with a professed atheist as the narrator. However, in a world like that constructed in this book where the arguments of atheism stand SO much stronger against the apparently indefensibly naive belief of religious people, why would the narrator declare a warm and fuzzy agnosticism (a very chic and tellingly relativistic response)except that this allows everyone to be right? After Tamara's experience, the only position that makes sense given what the book has established is a hardening of her position of an atheist, a further identification with her mother's position. Apparently this wasn't ever really an option either.
My other issue with the text is its embrace of the current stereotype of the bumbling, ineffectual, unnecessary father. The fathers in the story are all powerless, purposeless figures who seem to play little to no role in the lives of their families. This is especially true of Stuart, the narrator's father. Men are not any more naturally this way than women are naturally perfect mothers. Stuart might be abn example of the flaky artist stereo type as well, which would still leave him a stereotype, but he plays a prominent enough role in the text that I at least wanted a reason for his ineffectualness beyond his Y chromosome and his being an artist. Unfortunately the text doesn't give me anything here.
I can see where others may greatly enjoy this book, and I may be heaping more general literary frustrations on a single text that simply reflects prevailing attitudes, but despite the skill of the writer and some beautifully written moments this book was ultimately a failure for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2008
Tender Story of Love, Heartache & Finding Home
This story centers on Tamara, a young woman living in rural Mayville, NY in the 1950’s. By the age of 14, she’s moved more times than she can count. Well, she can count them, but she’s not happy about the loose ends she always feels upon relocation. Once she realizes that the other kids in school have histories with their classmates and roots, she feels cheated and wants to settle down.
Her family is somewhat dysfunctional but very loving – her father, a landscape artist and the traveling nature of his job is the reason behind their frequent relocations. Her mother is beautiful and a little wild, but she has a strong bond with Tamara’s father and allows his lifestyle to effect their family. Tamara has a younger brother and sister who have their own difficulties leading such a nomadic life and at times, Tamara takes out her frustrations on them and even on herself.
Sarah Willis adds the concept of atheism to the story, as both Tamara’s parents practice it. The neighbors across the street are devout Christians and manage to get their permission to take Tamara & her siblings to church, which opens up a whole new world for Tamara and she starts to question her beliefs and make bargains with God to keep her in one place.
Tamara’s life gets even more stressful when she learns that her mother has an illness that takes her away from the family, perhaps permanently and Tamara is forced to fill her shoes around the house. This is where Tamara begins to rely more heavily on God and asks him to help heal her mother. She also discovers that her complex feelings for her mother are a foil for the love she feels in her heart and through letters, they grow to understand each other better.
Tamara also finds the stirrings of her first love when she connects with Rusty who also lives next door. Sarah Willis portrays the feelings of wonder, fear and joy that we all feel when we find what we think is love and the other person feels it too. Willis does a fine job of providing excellent, solid characterization, and precisely detailing their neurosis so precisely that we can relate to them and their shifting, complicated connections to each other.
I loved the way she uses words to create pictures in the mind of the reader. I enjoyed the section where she uses colors to stress the importance of the situation comparing them to the colors her father uses in his artwork – a unique way to show the similarities between father and daughter when neither feels they have anything to share - masterful! I thought about this book and its characters for a while after I finished reading it and that is always a sign of an excellent story - I have found a new favorite author in Sarah Willis and look forward to reading more of her novels.
This story centers on Tamara, a young woman living in rural Mayville, NY in the 1950’s. By the age of 14, she’s moved more times than she can count. Well, she can count them, but she’s not happy about the loose ends she always feels upon relocation. Once she realizes that the other kids in school have histories with their classmates and roots, she feels cheated and wants to settle down.
Her family is somewhat dysfunctional but very loving – her father, a landscape artist and the traveling nature of his job is the reason behind their frequent relocations. Her mother is beautiful and a little wild, but she has a strong bond with Tamara’s father and allows his lifestyle to effect their family. Tamara has a younger brother and sister who have their own difficulties leading such a nomadic life and at times, Tamara takes out her frustrations on them and even on herself.
Sarah Willis adds the concept of atheism to the story, as both Tamara’s parents practice it. The neighbors across the street are devout Christians and manage to get their permission to take Tamara & her siblings to church, which opens up a whole new world for Tamara and she starts to question her beliefs and make bargains with God to keep her in one place.
Tamara’s life gets even more stressful when she learns that her mother has an illness that takes her away from the family, perhaps permanently and Tamara is forced to fill her shoes around the house. This is where Tamara begins to rely more heavily on God and asks him to help heal her mother. She also discovers that her complex feelings for her mother are a foil for the love she feels in her heart and through letters, they grow to understand each other better.
Tamara also finds the stirrings of her first love when she connects with Rusty who also lives next door. Sarah Willis portrays the feelings of wonder, fear and joy that we all feel when we find what we think is love and the other person feels it too. Willis does a fine job of providing excellent, solid characterization, and precisely detailing their neurosis so precisely that we can relate to them and their shifting, complicated connections to each other.
I loved the way she uses words to create pictures in the mind of the reader. I enjoyed the section where she uses colors to stress the importance of the situation comparing them to the colors her father uses in his artwork – a unique way to show the similarities between father and daughter when neither feels they have anything to share - masterful! I thought about this book and its characters for a while after I finished reading it and that is always a sign of an excellent story - I have found a new favorite author in Sarah Willis and look forward to reading more of her novels.
April 16, 2018
I TORE through this book in just under 24 hours. Usually, I’m pretty wary of first person narration, but it was done here beautifully to the point where I believed I was Tamara, and everything she thought and felt were what I thought and felt, too. From the writing style and its lyrical poetic elements to all of the characters and their own individual developments throughout the novel, everything is beautiful. I’ve read some bummers recently, but I’m so glad to find that this one didn’t disappoint at all.
As an army brat, I can relate to Tamara’s feelings regarding constant moves, anger at parents for things they can’t necessarily control, and feeling powerless. I felt like I was a 15 year old kid again struggling with 15 year old stresses and the pressures of needing to grow up before you’re ready. Tamara is an authentic, dimensional protagonist, and I’m so glad the book was told solely through her perspective.
I’ve got that post-coital glow that comes from finishing an amazing book, and I’m just so happy. I definitely recommend, especially for all the girls who’ve felt awkward, confused, angry, and alone, all the girls who’ve wanted better for themselves.
As an army brat, I can relate to Tamara’s feelings regarding constant moves, anger at parents for things they can’t necessarily control, and feeling powerless. I felt like I was a 15 year old kid again struggling with 15 year old stresses and the pressures of needing to grow up before you’re ready. Tamara is an authentic, dimensional protagonist, and I’m so glad the book was told solely through her perspective.
I’ve got that post-coital glow that comes from finishing an amazing book, and I’m just so happy. I definitely recommend, especially for all the girls who’ve felt awkward, confused, angry, and alone, all the girls who’ve wanted better for themselves.
July 18, 2012
This was a sweet and tender coming-of-age story set in rural New York in the 1950's. I was hooked from the first sentence," We move each spring, like birds migrating, except we don't go to a familiar place." Tamara Anderson is turning 15 and adolescence is difficult enough without the complications of her unconventional nomadic family. Besides the yearly move to satisfy her artist father's needs, there is the life size nude portrait of her mother hanging in the living room and her insistence on explaining all of nature in vivid detail to her children . Tamara's parents are loving but self-absorbed and Tamara is convinced that they would be "just fine " without kids. The story explores religion, prejudice, illness and loss and author Sarah Willis does an admirable job of portraying the McCarthy Era '50's and an even better job of painting her eccentric characters. She has a terrific ear for language and has her finger on the pulse of adolescence. This is not a "classic" but it IS a good read.
July 9, 2016
An engaging narrator pulls along this coming-of-age story set in the 1950s. It's not terribly heavy on plot, but there's enough going to keep you reading, and an actual arc of change, unlike some literary fiction.The wry humor had me laughing quite hard at times. That a kid raised in an atheistic home is curious about faith was an interesting aspect of the story that seemed well done, without being heavy handed pro or con. The story could have gone in preachy or maudlin directions, but never did, instead giving a nuance portrait of a family pulled along in the wake of an artist's vision.
July 25, 2008
A coming-of-age story about a girl whose family moves frequently to satiate her father's artistic needs...(How funny that I read this one immediately after "The Glass Castle"). The book focuses on the most recent move and the various changes it provokes.
It is an easy read, the kind that just rolls over you.
It is an easy read, the kind that just rolls over you.
September 1, 2008
A quirky coming-of-age tale set in the New York countryside. Tamara, the protagonist, has gotten used to moving every time her father finishes a painting. But now that she's 13, and finally settled in a place next door to a boy she likes, she begins to question the kind of life her family has been living. It's a fun first novel and the writing rings true.
May 28, 2008
I enjoyed this book because it was easy for me to relate to the main character, Tamara, a teenage girl who is tired of being dragged around the country for her father to paint. There was nothing outstanding about this novel, but I would recommend it for most young women.
July 7, 2008
I traveled frequently as a child; my father was an officer in the Navy. This book reminded me of my own feelings about being the new kid, and showed me a different perspective on the experience. Written from the point of view of a young teenage girl, real emotions ring out.
October 24, 2009
I stumbled across this one by chance at the library which prompted me to seek out the author’s other titles. “Some Things that Stay” is an accurate portrayal of family life. The narrator, Tamara, is a highly likable character who tells her story with wit and sensitivity and without sentimentality.
March 16, 2021
This was for me, the quintessential book about adolescence, a refreshing tale about the complexity of being young in a mature body as well as being angst-ridden and frustrated with the trials life brings. I’d read it again in a heartbeat 💓
August 7, 2007
easy read, very sweet story
February 1, 2008
I read this a while back but I really loved it. I had a few of my friends read it as well and they agreed with me.
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