What do you think?
Rate this book
Eines Tages für immer
2000: Nach außen hin wirkt Lukes Leben perfekt – wäre da nicht eine Frage, die ihn seit Kindertagen umtreibt: Wer ist seine leibliche Mutter? Als er nach langer Suche schließlich vor dem Anwesen der Malerin Alice steht, ahnt er nicht, dass deren tragische Geschichte nicht nur bei ihm alte Wunden aufreißen wird.
1972: Eigentlich sollte es nur ein ausgelassener Konzertbesuch werden, doch als die 19-jährige Kunststudentin Alice das erste Mal auf Jacob Earl trifft, ist es um sie geschehen. Der Sänger der Band Disciples ist nicht nur unglaublich talentiert und gut aussehend, ihn umgibt auch etwas Geheimnisvolles, dem Alice sich nicht entziehen kann. Aus einer stürmischen Affäre wird bald ein gemeinsames Leben, doch Alice’ Familie und Freunde sind gegen eine Verbindung der beiden. Jacob sei zu ungestüm, zu wankelmütig und würde sie für seine Karriere im Stich lassen. Entgegen aller Widerstände versuchen Alice und Jacob zusammenzuhalten. Aber manchmal sind selbst die größten Hindernisse nichts gegen das, was das Schicksal für einen vorgesehen hat …
1972: Eigentlich sollte es nur ein ausgelassener Konzertbesuch werden, doch als die 19-jährige Kunststudentin Alice das erste Mal auf Jacob Earl trifft, ist es um sie geschehen. Der Sänger der Band Disciples ist nicht nur unglaublich talentiert und gut aussehend, ihn umgibt auch etwas Geheimnisvolles, dem Alice sich nicht entziehen kann. Aus einer stürmischen Affäre wird bald ein gemeinsames Leben, doch Alice’ Familie und Freunde sind gegen eine Verbindung der beiden. Jacob sei zu ungestüm, zu wankelmütig und würde sie für seine Karriere im Stich lassen. Entgegen aller Widerstände versuchen Alice und Jacob zusammenzuhalten. Aber manchmal sind selbst die größten Hindernisse nichts gegen das, was das Schicksal für einen vorgesehen hat …
348 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 22, 2019
992 people are currently reading
32478 people want to read
About the author
Clare Empson
5 books85 followersAlso see Clare Leslie Hall
Clare is a journalist with a background in national newspapers - small business editor, finance correspondent and fashion at the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Express, freelance for The Sunday Telegraph, The Sunday Times, the Evening Standard and Tatler amongst others.
source: Amazon
Clare is a journalist with a background in national newspapers - small business editor, finance correspondent and fashion at the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Express, freelance for The Sunday Telegraph, The Sunday Times, the Evening Standard and Tatler amongst others.
source: Amazon
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 496 reviews
March 19, 2020
Luke had been adopted shortly after his birth. But he has now traced his birth mother, Alice. Luke, his partner Hannah and their son, Samuel are now meeting up with Alice and his birth father, Rick on a regular basis. Alice starts minding Samuel when Hannah returns to work. But Luke is jealous. His mother is having a relationship with his son, forming a bond that Luke never had.
The first half of this book sets the scene. I didn't think it was a psychological thriller but it was a good read just thr same. There's quite a few unexpected twists that will keep your interest. The story is written in two timelines getting the story of before and after Luke's birth. This is an emotional and moving read. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Orion Publishing Group and the author Clare Empson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The first half of this book sets the scene. I didn't think it was a psychological thriller but it was a good read just thr same. There's quite a few unexpected twists that will keep your interest. The story is written in two timelines getting the story of before and after Luke's birth. This is an emotional and moving read. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Orion Publishing Group and the author Clare Empson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 4, 2025
4.25. An earlier work that has been republished after the huge success of Broken Country (well worth the high acclaim). Very well written novel filled with so many emotions. In the back of my head I kept thinking this is what A Star is Born would be like if there was more to that movie.
A deep mad love between a 19 year old artist and her 26-year old musician boyfriend. A love story so deeply filled with feeling that at times it’s hard to read.
An excellent novel.
A deep mad love between a 19 year old artist and her 26-year old musician boyfriend. A love story so deeply filled with feeling that at times it’s hard to read.
An excellent novel.
March 31, 2020
4☆ Highly Compelling, Enthralling and Poignant, A Must Read!
Mine is a highly compelling story about family, jealousy, bonding, adoption, guilt, relationships, it's gripping and at times a rollercoaster of emotions
Alice gave up her Son Luke for adoption.
Luke has always wanted to find his birth parents and to find out answers. So he seeks out Alice.
So when Alice and Luke meet he now has a family, a Wife Hannah and a son called Samuel.
As they get to know each other, after all these years, Alice offers to look after young Samuel.
Alice loves Samuel as a grandparent would, but in seeing this bond Luke craved and missed out on, sparks up a touch of jealousy and he begins to wonder if letting Alice care for Samuel is such a good idea after all!
I loved learning about Alice's story and why she came to the painful decision to give Luke up for adoption.
Then there was Luke's story, the impact of being adopted, finding Alice and how it would/is effecting his relationship with his adopted parents, the impact it has on his own relationship with his mother and his family and son.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading MINE, it was completely enthralling, there is so many layers to this book. It has a psychological feel, yet it's poignant, and cleverly plotted.
It's very much a character driven story set between two time lines, which I loved as it gave the plot so much depth.
If you love your Family Thrillers to be so much more than a thriller, that take you on a rollercoaster of emotions then I highly recommend this fantastic book!
Thank you to Compulsive Readers Tours and Orion Publishers for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily
My Review is also on my Blog Website :-
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2020/0...
Mine is a highly compelling story about family, jealousy, bonding, adoption, guilt, relationships, it's gripping and at times a rollercoaster of emotions
Alice gave up her Son Luke for adoption.
Luke has always wanted to find his birth parents and to find out answers. So he seeks out Alice.
So when Alice and Luke meet he now has a family, a Wife Hannah and a son called Samuel.
As they get to know each other, after all these years, Alice offers to look after young Samuel.
Alice loves Samuel as a grandparent would, but in seeing this bond Luke craved and missed out on, sparks up a touch of jealousy and he begins to wonder if letting Alice care for Samuel is such a good idea after all!
I loved learning about Alice's story and why she came to the painful decision to give Luke up for adoption.
Then there was Luke's story, the impact of being adopted, finding Alice and how it would/is effecting his relationship with his adopted parents, the impact it has on his own relationship with his mother and his family and son.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading MINE, it was completely enthralling, there is so many layers to this book. It has a psychological feel, yet it's poignant, and cleverly plotted.
It's very much a character driven story set between two time lines, which I loved as it gave the plot so much depth.
If you love your Family Thrillers to be so much more than a thriller, that take you on a rollercoaster of emotions then I highly recommend this fantastic book!
Thank you to Compulsive Readers Tours and Orion Publishers for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily
My Review is also on my Blog Website :-
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2020/0...
October 29, 2025
“Days You Were Mine”, by Clare Leslie Hall, Clare Empson
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TW: emotional abuse, mental illness, suicide
This was my second book by this author, after reading the terrific “Broken Country”.
It was originally published in 2019 with the title of “Mine”, but recently re-issued due to the success of her latest book (“Broken Country“).
I absolutely loved the writing and the terrific storytelling, which grabbed me from the beginning and was able to keep me enthralled throughout the book. There was so much passion in this work. Passion about passion. Passion about the arts (painting and music). Passion about food (one that I was delighted with).
Anyways, this is more of a drama, rather than a thriller or mystery.
The building of the characters was skillfully crafted, as was the timeline structure.
I did like the excerpts from a book titled “Who Am I. The Adoptee’s Hidden Trauma”, supposed to be written by Joel Harris, but I assume this was a fictional book, as there was no mention in the author’s note and I could not find any reference in the internet. It was quite clever and I thought it was illuminating when it came to Luke’s personality.
I really liked reading Luke’s and Alice’s perspectives. Their stories were heartbreaking, but inspiring.
But the development of the story is perhaps too slow and a bit repetitive, although far from being boring (in my opinion). But there is a lot of sadness and grief in here, that perhaps may not please everyone.
I do praise the superb storytelling, hence my ratings.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TW: emotional abuse, mental illness, suicide
This was my second book by this author, after reading the terrific “Broken Country”.
It was originally published in 2019 with the title of “Mine”, but recently re-issued due to the success of her latest book (“Broken Country“).
I absolutely loved the writing and the terrific storytelling, which grabbed me from the beginning and was able to keep me enthralled throughout the book. There was so much passion in this work. Passion about passion. Passion about the arts (painting and music). Passion about food (one that I was delighted with).
Anyways, this is more of a drama, rather than a thriller or mystery.
The building of the characters was skillfully crafted, as was the timeline structure.
I did like the excerpts from a book titled “Who Am I. The Adoptee’s Hidden Trauma”, supposed to be written by Joel Harris, but I assume this was a fictional book, as there was no mention in the author’s note and I could not find any reference in the internet. It was quite clever and I thought it was illuminating when it came to Luke’s personality.
I really liked reading Luke’s and Alice’s perspectives. Their stories were heartbreaking, but inspiring.
But the development of the story is perhaps too slow and a bit repetitive, although far from being boring (in my opinion). But there is a lot of sadness and grief in here, that perhaps may not please everyone.
I do praise the superb storytelling, hence my ratings.
September 9, 2025
I went into this book blind, thinking it was the latest book by Clare Leslie Hall, not realizing it was an older book being re-released after the incredible popularity of Broken Country.
This was a good book, exploring the world of adoption, but it wasn't as fascinating as Broken Country. It follows Luke as he reacclimates himself with his biological mother, Alice. Luke, a father, feels the urgency to settle his past and form a bond with Alice. The problem is that Luke's mother is more interested in Luke's baby, Samuel.
Told in alternating timelines, Alice's past and Luke's present. We learn the heartbreaking story of how Alice came into the world. Alice feels a disconnect with Luke, but she feels strongly connected to Samuel. It's almost as though she is reliving the past, before she gave Luke up.
Luke is feeling uneasy, almost jealous of his biological mother's bond with his son and not with him. As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed and heartbreak unfolds.
Overall, I was vested in the story until the end, but did not feel firmly attached to the story.
3.4/5 stars
This was a good book, exploring the world of adoption, but it wasn't as fascinating as Broken Country. It follows Luke as he reacclimates himself with his biological mother, Alice. Luke, a father, feels the urgency to settle his past and form a bond with Alice. The problem is that Luke's mother is more interested in Luke's baby, Samuel.
Told in alternating timelines, Alice's past and Luke's present. We learn the heartbreaking story of how Alice came into the world. Alice feels a disconnect with Luke, but she feels strongly connected to Samuel. It's almost as though she is reliving the past, before she gave Luke up.
Luke is feeling uneasy, almost jealous of his biological mother's bond with his son and not with him. As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed and heartbreak unfolds.
Overall, I was vested in the story until the end, but did not feel firmly attached to the story.
3.4/5 stars
March 19, 2020
Luke had been adopted shortly after his birth. But he has now traced his birth mother, Alice. Luke, his partner Hannah and their son, Samuel are now meeting up with Alice and his birth father, Rick on a regular basis. Alice starts minding Samuel when Hannah returns to work. But Luke is jealous. His mother is having a relationship with his son, forming a bond that Luke never had.
The first half of their book sets the scene. I didn't think it was a psychological thriller but it was a good read just the same. Theres quite a few unexpected twists that will keep your interest. Thenstory is written in two timeline getringbthe story if before and after Luke's birth. This is an emotional and moving read. I throughly enjoyed this story.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Orion Publishing Group and the author Clare Empson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The first half of their book sets the scene. I didn't think it was a psychological thriller but it was a good read just the same. Theres quite a few unexpected twists that will keep your interest. Thenstory is written in two timeline getringbthe story if before and after Luke's birth. This is an emotional and moving read. I throughly enjoyed this story.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Orion Publishing Group and the author Clare Empson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 14, 2025
this is every bit as intriguing as the blurb makes it sound, but oh my god is it also so much more than that. did not go into this expecting to feel a hopeless longing & visceral grief, but here i am, sitting here and feeling a hole in my heart for these characters and their stories. absolute heartbreak, despair, hopelessness — it’s so hard to reconcile the fact that this is fiction.
clare leslie hall does the most phenomenal job at writing in such a way that makes you feel like this. alice and jacob, their highs and lows, their whirlwind love and subsequent painnnn. luke, and his desire to find connect with his birth mother while feeling conflicted and battling with his emotions the entire time. the relationships and love, family and romantic and platonic, are portrayed so beautifully and perfectly.
in other words, i'm staring at a wall with, again, a hole in my heart. give me another clare leslie hall book asap. sos.
clare leslie hall does the most phenomenal job at writing in such a way that makes you feel like this. alice and jacob, their highs and lows, their whirlwind love and subsequent painnnn. luke, and his desire to find connect with his birth mother while feeling conflicted and battling with his emotions the entire time. the relationships and love, family and romantic and platonic, are portrayed so beautifully and perfectly.
in other words, i'm staring at a wall with, again, a hole in my heart. give me another clare leslie hall book asap. sos.
October 6, 2025
I usually avoid books about the adoption triad at all costs. As the daughter of an adoptee and the mother of two adoptees, I always feel like the triad is largely misrepresented. Both birth mothers and adoptive mothers are either villainized or sainted. The truth is adoption is hard and traumatic.
All that said, I wasn't sure about this book. Even through the final fifty pages, my opinion on the author's handling of adoption was still up in the air. Now that I've finished, I felt the author was fair. (More fair than books like Little Fires Everywhere which made me so angry—what a trope that book was!) In Days You Were mine, no one is a true villain, no one is a true saint. Each member of the triad has holes. That seems a fair representation to me, a branch on a family tree built by adoption.
I knocked off a star for the graphic bedroom scenes. I could have done without that and it wasn't necessary to the plot. The book would have been stronger without so much graphic detail in this respect.
I'll think about this book for a long time. It was moving and hard and raw. I love the author's writing style.
All that said, I wasn't sure about this book. Even through the final fifty pages, my opinion on the author's handling of adoption was still up in the air. Now that I've finished, I felt the author was fair. (More fair than books like Little Fires Everywhere which made me so angry—what a trope that book was!) In Days You Were mine, no one is a true villain, no one is a true saint. Each member of the triad has holes. That seems a fair representation to me, a branch on a family tree built by adoption.
I knocked off a star for the graphic bedroom scenes. I could have done without that and it wasn't necessary to the plot. The book would have been stronger without so much graphic detail in this respect.
I'll think about this book for a long time. It was moving and hard and raw. I love the author's writing style.
December 31, 2020
Mine is Clare Empson’s second book and is categorised as a psychological thriller, but in my opinion, this is so much more than the bog-standard psych thrillers. This book is a combination of domestic noir, emotional family drama and a deep and powerful story line.
Twenty-seven year old Luke has recently become a father. He has a loving girlfriend, a career in an industry he’s passionate about and on the surface everything is wonderful. However, Luke was adopted and has never felt like he fits in anywhere and being a new father gives Luke the courage and confidence he needs to search for his birth parents.
When Luke meets his birth mother Alice he unwittingly steers both of their lives onto a path of pain and guilt, blame and feelings of abandonment. Both mother and newly acquainted son are overcome with strong feelings and harsh reminders of their past. Alice has no alternative but to face up to her past and grief. She narrates her story through chapters based in the past. The tale of her and Luke’s father is utterly heartbreaking and so emotionally powerful that as times I had to wipe away a tear (or two).
Each of Luke’s chapters start with a passage from a book called Who Am I? The Adoptee’s Hidden Trauma which gives the reader a greater insight into the mind and mental health of the child seeking their birth parent. Following Luke’s very personal journey was deeply moving and thought-provoking.
I was absolutely captivated by Luke and Alice’s story and devoured each page and chapter. Flicking back and forth from the past and the present, the author manages to bring these main characters to life and give them so much depth and vulnerability.
I would definitely recommend this book and it also goes straight into my Top Ten books of 2020.
Twenty-seven year old Luke has recently become a father. He has a loving girlfriend, a career in an industry he’s passionate about and on the surface everything is wonderful. However, Luke was adopted and has never felt like he fits in anywhere and being a new father gives Luke the courage and confidence he needs to search for his birth parents.
When Luke meets his birth mother Alice he unwittingly steers both of their lives onto a path of pain and guilt, blame and feelings of abandonment. Both mother and newly acquainted son are overcome with strong feelings and harsh reminders of their past. Alice has no alternative but to face up to her past and grief. She narrates her story through chapters based in the past. The tale of her and Luke’s father is utterly heartbreaking and so emotionally powerful that as times I had to wipe away a tear (or two).
Each of Luke’s chapters start with a passage from a book called Who Am I? The Adoptee’s Hidden Trauma which gives the reader a greater insight into the mind and mental health of the child seeking their birth parent. Following Luke’s very personal journey was deeply moving and thought-provoking.
I was absolutely captivated by Luke and Alice’s story and devoured each page and chapter. Flicking back and forth from the past and the present, the author manages to bring these main characters to life and give them so much depth and vulnerability.
I would definitely recommend this book and it also goes straight into my Top Ten books of 2020.
September 5, 2025
This is a slow moving character study that examines the psychology of being adopted and giving up a child to adoption. It also has some setting and relevance in the art world. Told in alternating timeline, we follow Alice and Jake as they are young and in love, he is a musician and she is an artist. In the future timeline, Luke is a new dad to Samuel. He has reconnected with Alice who is his birth mother.
It has good characters but is painfully slow and has a disappointing ending. I was expecting more of a slow burn thriller like Broken Country. The sentences are beautiful and sweeping descriptions are intriguing, but there’s very little plot.
It has good characters but is painfully slow and has a disappointing ending. I was expecting more of a slow burn thriller like Broken Country. The sentences are beautiful and sweeping descriptions are intriguing, but there’s very little plot.
July 13, 2022
I’m not sure if I would even class this as a thriller, more of a domestic drama that turned out to be incredibly sad and had me crying. Fast paced and a good read.
December 3, 2019
This books is classed as a psychological thriller, but it really is so much more than that. This goes way deeper that not only pulled at my heart strings but nearly broke them.
The story flicks between Alice in the past and Luke in present day. In the past we get to know Alice better and the build up to the circumstances surrounding giving her son up for adoption. In present day, we meet Luke and his partner Hannah, with their young Samuel, comng to terms with having Alice in their lives.
Having not been adopted myself, it’s hard to know how it would feel to know that your parents gave you away. Through Luke, we get to see how knowing your adopted can at times put pressure on the relationship with the adopted parents as well as the upheaval to everyone involved in having a blood parent, coming back into your life.
Tensions and emotions run high throughout this story. Parts were emotional, heartbreaking, sad, worrying, it really did have me go through an array of emotions. Seeing the bond form between Alice and her grandson was lovely yet had me feeling wary all at the same time.
Mine is a gentle, yet compelling story that consumed me wholly. Whilst there are some surprises up the sleeve of this book, I think the main attraction for me were the relationships within this story. The ending had me sobbing like a new born. I was so affected by Alice and Luke and hats off to the author for writing such a haunting read as it will take me sometime, if ever, that I forget about the characters and events that happen within these pages.
My thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to be part of the blog tour and NatGalley and Orion for a readers copy of the book. Opinions are all my own and not biased in anyway.
The story flicks between Alice in the past and Luke in present day. In the past we get to know Alice better and the build up to the circumstances surrounding giving her son up for adoption. In present day, we meet Luke and his partner Hannah, with their young Samuel, comng to terms with having Alice in their lives.
Having not been adopted myself, it’s hard to know how it would feel to know that your parents gave you away. Through Luke, we get to see how knowing your adopted can at times put pressure on the relationship with the adopted parents as well as the upheaval to everyone involved in having a blood parent, coming back into your life.
Tensions and emotions run high throughout this story. Parts were emotional, heartbreaking, sad, worrying, it really did have me go through an array of emotions. Seeing the bond form between Alice and her grandson was lovely yet had me feeling wary all at the same time.
Mine is a gentle, yet compelling story that consumed me wholly. Whilst there are some surprises up the sleeve of this book, I think the main attraction for me were the relationships within this story. The ending had me sobbing like a new born. I was so affected by Alice and Luke and hats off to the author for writing such a haunting read as it will take me sometime, if ever, that I forget about the characters and events that happen within these pages.
My thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to be part of the blog tour and NatGalley and Orion for a readers copy of the book. Opinions are all my own and not biased in anyway.
October 24, 2019
Wow! This is an absolutely brilliant book and one that I’ll be telling all my friends about.
Luke meets up with his biological mother, Alice, and instantly forms a connection with her. His wife also loves her so when they discuss who will look after their baby when Hannah goes back to work, Alice jumps at the chance.
She is the perfect choice as Samuel loves her too and all seems to go well.
Luke’s adoptive mother is more traditional and they’ve drifted apart lately so he struggles with telling her that he’s made contact with Alice.
As Luke wants to get to know more about Alice, she seems to want to spend less time with him but more and more time with the baby.
Luke begins to worry but Hannah can’t see the problem until Luke makes a shocking discovery.
I’ll leave it there, as I don’t want to spoil this fantastic story as there is so much more to it.
I loved this book and my heart is still racing from that ending.
Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Luke meets up with his biological mother, Alice, and instantly forms a connection with her. His wife also loves her so when they discuss who will look after their baby when Hannah goes back to work, Alice jumps at the chance.
She is the perfect choice as Samuel loves her too and all seems to go well.
Luke’s adoptive mother is more traditional and they’ve drifted apart lately so he struggles with telling her that he’s made contact with Alice.
As Luke wants to get to know more about Alice, she seems to want to spend less time with him but more and more time with the baby.
Luke begins to worry but Hannah can’t see the problem until Luke makes a shocking discovery.
I’ll leave it there, as I don’t want to spoil this fantastic story as there is so much more to it.
I loved this book and my heart is still racing from that ending.
Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
April 26, 2021
Gerade erst ist Luke (27) Vater seines Söhnchens Samuel geworden. Mit seiner Freundin Hannah genießt er das frische Familienglück. Doch eine Frage treibt ihn seit der Kindheit um: Wer sind seine leiblichen Eltern? Tatsächlich gelingt es ihm, seine Mutter Alice Garland ausfindig zu machen, die ihn zur Adoption freigegeben hat, als sie als 19-jährige Kunststudentin in London ungewollt schwanger geworden war. Die Begegnung mit dem verlorenen Sohn reißt bei Alice jedoch alte Wunden auf und lässt bei Luke einige Fragen offen...
„Eines Tages für immer“ ist ein Roman von Clare Empson.
Meine Meinung:
Der Roman besteht aus kurzen Kapiteln, die im Präsens abwechselnd in der Ich-Perspektive aus der Sicht von Luke und Alice erzählt werden. Dadurch entstehen zwei Erzählstränge, wovon einer im Jahr 2000 („Heute“) und einer im Jahr 1972 („Damals“) spielt, jeweils in London. Der Roman endet mit einem Epilog. Der Aufbau ist durchdacht und funktioniert gut.
Der Schreibstil ist anschaulich, einfühlsam und aufgrund von viel direkter Rede sehr lebhaft.
Sowohl Luke als auch Alice sind zwei interessante Charaktere. Mir gefällt es gut, dass es nicht um Mutter und Tochter, sondern Mutter und Sohn geht, was wesentlich seltener in solchen Romanen der Fall ist. Luke ist ein durchweg authentischer und nicht unsympathischer Charakter mit Ecken und Kanten. Während Alice mir im Jahr 1972 noch zugesagt hat, wirkt ihre Person in der jüngeren Vergangenheit inkonsistent und hat mich zunehmend mit rücksichts- und verantwortungslosem Verhalten geärgert. Ihre Aktionen im aktuelleren Erzählstrang stehen in starkem Kontrast zur Vergangenheit und sind für mich nicht nachvollziehbar.
Das Thema Adoption und die Schwierigkeiten, die damit und mit Familienzusammenführungen einhergehen, bieten viel Stoff zum Nachdenken. Außerdem geht es um psychische Krankheiten und andere heftige Erfahrungen, die eine etwas düstere und schwermütige Atmosphäre schaffen. Zwar beinhaltet der Roman auch eine Liebesgeschichte. Dennoch nimmt die Romantik nicht zu viel Platz ein. Ein weiterer Aspekt, der eine Rolle spielt, ist die Kunst. Das alles macht den Roman facettenreich und tiefgründig.
Der Einstieg ist etwas zäh. Auch im weiteren Verlauf hat die rund 440 Seiten umfassende Geschichte ein paar Längen. Das Tempo nimmt in der zweiten Hälfte zu. Die Handlung gewinnt an Dramatik. Zum Schluss gelingt der Autorin zudem eine überraschende Wende, die für einen alles in allem zufriedenstellenden Ausgang sorgt. In weiten Teilen ist die Geschichte aber weniger geheimnisvoll als erhofft und sogar ziemlich durchsichtig, wenn auch stimmig.
Der deutsche Titel erschließt sich mir leider nicht, der englischsprachige („Mine“) dagegen schon besser. Die Gestaltung des Taschenbuches ist optisch ansprechend, hat aber keinerlei erkennbaren Bezug zum Inhalt.
Mein Fazit:
„Eines Tages für immer“ von Clare Empson ist ein Roman mit mehreren Stärken, aber auch Schwächen. Auch wenn mich die Geschichte nicht in allen Punkten überzeugen konnte, habe ich das Buch gerne gelesen.
„Eines Tages für immer“ ist ein Roman von Clare Empson.
Meine Meinung:
Der Roman besteht aus kurzen Kapiteln, die im Präsens abwechselnd in der Ich-Perspektive aus der Sicht von Luke und Alice erzählt werden. Dadurch entstehen zwei Erzählstränge, wovon einer im Jahr 2000 („Heute“) und einer im Jahr 1972 („Damals“) spielt, jeweils in London. Der Roman endet mit einem Epilog. Der Aufbau ist durchdacht und funktioniert gut.
Der Schreibstil ist anschaulich, einfühlsam und aufgrund von viel direkter Rede sehr lebhaft.
Sowohl Luke als auch Alice sind zwei interessante Charaktere. Mir gefällt es gut, dass es nicht um Mutter und Tochter, sondern Mutter und Sohn geht, was wesentlich seltener in solchen Romanen der Fall ist. Luke ist ein durchweg authentischer und nicht unsympathischer Charakter mit Ecken und Kanten. Während Alice mir im Jahr 1972 noch zugesagt hat, wirkt ihre Person in der jüngeren Vergangenheit inkonsistent und hat mich zunehmend mit rücksichts- und verantwortungslosem Verhalten geärgert. Ihre Aktionen im aktuelleren Erzählstrang stehen in starkem Kontrast zur Vergangenheit und sind für mich nicht nachvollziehbar.
Das Thema Adoption und die Schwierigkeiten, die damit und mit Familienzusammenführungen einhergehen, bieten viel Stoff zum Nachdenken. Außerdem geht es um psychische Krankheiten und andere heftige Erfahrungen, die eine etwas düstere und schwermütige Atmosphäre schaffen. Zwar beinhaltet der Roman auch eine Liebesgeschichte. Dennoch nimmt die Romantik nicht zu viel Platz ein. Ein weiterer Aspekt, der eine Rolle spielt, ist die Kunst. Das alles macht den Roman facettenreich und tiefgründig.
Der Einstieg ist etwas zäh. Auch im weiteren Verlauf hat die rund 440 Seiten umfassende Geschichte ein paar Längen. Das Tempo nimmt in der zweiten Hälfte zu. Die Handlung gewinnt an Dramatik. Zum Schluss gelingt der Autorin zudem eine überraschende Wende, die für einen alles in allem zufriedenstellenden Ausgang sorgt. In weiten Teilen ist die Geschichte aber weniger geheimnisvoll als erhofft und sogar ziemlich durchsichtig, wenn auch stimmig.
Der deutsche Titel erschließt sich mir leider nicht, der englischsprachige („Mine“) dagegen schon besser. Die Gestaltung des Taschenbuches ist optisch ansprechend, hat aber keinerlei erkennbaren Bezug zum Inhalt.
Mein Fazit:
„Eines Tages für immer“ von Clare Empson ist ein Roman mit mehreren Stärken, aber auch Schwächen. Auch wenn mich die Geschichte nicht in allen Punkten überzeugen konnte, habe ich das Buch gerne gelesen.
April 8, 2020
I was a huge fan of this author’s first book so I was very excited to read more from her. Mine is another intense, powerful read which I have continued to think about long after I have finished reading.
I’ve often wondered how traumatic and life changing giving up a child must be for everyone involved. It’s a decision that must haunt you for years and something you often think about. I therefore had a lot of sympathy for both Luke and Alice for the situation they find themselves in with all the raw emotion that they were both feeling.
As emotional as Luke and Alice’s meeting is, things soon becomes quite frightening as Alice forms a strong attachment to Luke little girl. Alarm bells started ringing and I found myself feeling quite uneasy as to how things were going. There’s a strong sense of foreboding hanging over the whole book as the reader gets the sense early on that something bad is going to happen but has no idea what and when. I found myself trying to read faster to find out what it was going to be.
The thing that most stood out for me in this book was how connected I felt to the characters. Despite everything that happens I felt very close to them and felt I understood why they were acting the way they were. It’s definitely a heartbreaking read at times due to the subject matter but I think it would make a great read for anyone who likes psychological thrillers as it is very gripping.
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book via Netgalley.
I’ve often wondered how traumatic and life changing giving up a child must be for everyone involved. It’s a decision that must haunt you for years and something you often think about. I therefore had a lot of sympathy for both Luke and Alice for the situation they find themselves in with all the raw emotion that they were both feeling.
As emotional as Luke and Alice’s meeting is, things soon becomes quite frightening as Alice forms a strong attachment to Luke little girl. Alarm bells started ringing and I found myself feeling quite uneasy as to how things were going. There’s a strong sense of foreboding hanging over the whole book as the reader gets the sense early on that something bad is going to happen but has no idea what and when. I found myself trying to read faster to find out what it was going to be.
The thing that most stood out for me in this book was how connected I felt to the characters. Despite everything that happens I felt very close to them and felt I understood why they were acting the way they were. It’s definitely a heartbreaking read at times due to the subject matter but I think it would make a great read for anyone who likes psychological thrillers as it is very gripping.
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book via Netgalley.
April 6, 2020
I adore Clare Empsons writing! She manages to convey such strong emotions within her characters that they rise up from the pages as though performing in front of her readers. Mine was always going to be an emotional read due to the subject matter but it was handled with a sensitivity that stopped it from becoming overly sentimental as the author created her heart rending storyline.
Luke has known he was adopted since the age of 8 but the birth of his own son has made him more curious about the woman who gave birth to him. He meets the fascinating and stunningly beautiful Alice and quickly falls under her spell. When he and Hannah, mother of his son Samuel, need an au pair then who better but Alice to look after him and become an integral part of their new family. But when we become aware of Luke’s conception and the events leading up to his adoption, the readers quickly becomes aware that Alice isn’t telling Luke everything and his son is caught up in the middle of a very emotional reunion that may not have the outcome they were all hoping for.
I liked how the narrative brought the themes of motherhood to the forefront of the relationships here and each chapter began with quotes about adoption and the pitfalls of meeting adopted parents as adults. This then filtered down into the relationship Luke has with his birth mother as their relationship follows down some unexpected paths. The reasons become clear as we follow Alice during her days at art college and her introduction to Luke’s father. This isn’t so much a psychological thriller but more of an intriguing and emotional family drama with an affecting storyline looking at the impact of adoption on the mental health of all those it touches. Clare Empson handles her characters with an empathetic and non judgmental hand letting their backgrounds unravel as we see how the past has made them the people that they have become in the present. It’s a heartbreaking journey for them.
Mine has a soul searching and touching narrative that never dips into the mawkish, syrupy side of this tragic story. It’s affecting without being affected and handles the cards dealt to all of its players to perfection.
Highly recommended by me.
Luke has known he was adopted since the age of 8 but the birth of his own son has made him more curious about the woman who gave birth to him. He meets the fascinating and stunningly beautiful Alice and quickly falls under her spell. When he and Hannah, mother of his son Samuel, need an au pair then who better but Alice to look after him and become an integral part of their new family. But when we become aware of Luke’s conception and the events leading up to his adoption, the readers quickly becomes aware that Alice isn’t telling Luke everything and his son is caught up in the middle of a very emotional reunion that may not have the outcome they were all hoping for.
I liked how the narrative brought the themes of motherhood to the forefront of the relationships here and each chapter began with quotes about adoption and the pitfalls of meeting adopted parents as adults. This then filtered down into the relationship Luke has with his birth mother as their relationship follows down some unexpected paths. The reasons become clear as we follow Alice during her days at art college and her introduction to Luke’s father. This isn’t so much a psychological thriller but more of an intriguing and emotional family drama with an affecting storyline looking at the impact of adoption on the mental health of all those it touches. Clare Empson handles her characters with an empathetic and non judgmental hand letting their backgrounds unravel as we see how the past has made them the people that they have become in the present. It’s a heartbreaking journey for them.
Mine has a soul searching and touching narrative that never dips into the mawkish, syrupy side of this tragic story. It’s affecting without being affected and handles the cards dealt to all of its players to perfection.
Highly recommended by me.
March 24, 2020
This is a psychological thriller with an emotional edge.
Luke had been adopted when very young and he now has a family of his own. He has a young son, Samuel with his partner Hannah.
He is newly reunited with his birth mother, Alice who helps take care of Samuel so Hannah can go back to work.
Told in two distinct times lines, Alice’s from the past and Luke’s in the present and set in the world of art and music.
Without spoiling the plot, this is a beautifully written story with a slowly building tension, a family drama with a twist that’s gripping as you watch someone fall apart.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Mine for free. This is my honest, unbiased review.
Luke had been adopted when very young and he now has a family of his own. He has a young son, Samuel with his partner Hannah.
He is newly reunited with his birth mother, Alice who helps take care of Samuel so Hannah can go back to work.
Told in two distinct times lines, Alice’s from the past and Luke’s in the present and set in the world of art and music.
Without spoiling the plot, this is a beautifully written story with a slowly building tension, a family drama with a twist that’s gripping as you watch someone fall apart.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Mine for free. This is my honest, unbiased review.
September 30, 2025
4!
Well, dang. That was…taxing. In the most beautiful way. But boy, did it wreck me. Not usually one for super sad books but this one was so, so good. Thankful there were so many threads of beauty and optimism and joy found throughout the depths of sadness and brokenness. A thoroughly human book. I’d be very curious (feels like the wrong word) to hear how adoptees feel reading it or what drove CLH to write this story. Nevertheless, a tragic and tender one.
Just… have some chocolate or an Emily Henry book-to-movie Trailer on standby to watch when you finish it because you may need some dopamine.
Well, dang. That was…taxing. In the most beautiful way. But boy, did it wreck me. Not usually one for super sad books but this one was so, so good. Thankful there were so many threads of beauty and optimism and joy found throughout the depths of sadness and brokenness. A thoroughly human book. I’d be very curious (feels like the wrong word) to hear how adoptees feel reading it or what drove CLH to write this story. Nevertheless, a tragic and tender one.
Just… have some chocolate or an Emily Henry book-to-movie Trailer on standby to watch when you finish it because you may need some dopamine.
March 19, 2020
I think that there is a need in all of us to know about our parents and their parents before them. It gives us stability. This was brought home even more to Luke when he and his girlfriend Hannah have a son themselves. Luke had been adopted as a baby and always felt out of sorts with it. Now knowing how strong his own feelings were for his son he needed to find out how his own mother could have given him up.
Luke now 28 years old finds his beautiful 47-year-old mother Alice and a sort of relationship begins to develop between her and Luke, Hannah and baby Samuel. The connection between Alice and Samuel is instant so when Hannah has to return to work it is Alice that takes on the role of carer. Luke also meets his father but there are more secrets and lies to uncover yet.
The story bounces between Alice's story of her home life to having her baby and the constant churning and changing feelings that Luke is experiencing. There are so many underlining stories that just made me read the last quarter of the book with pure dread. This is an absolute belting story that covers so many issues. Something happened in the book that I knew would be a game-changer and it put tension into every single page that came after it. This story will simply rip you apart and stay with you. I won't ever forget.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
Luke now 28 years old finds his beautiful 47-year-old mother Alice and a sort of relationship begins to develop between her and Luke, Hannah and baby Samuel. The connection between Alice and Samuel is instant so when Hannah has to return to work it is Alice that takes on the role of carer. Luke also meets his father but there are more secrets and lies to uncover yet.
The story bounces between Alice's story of her home life to having her baby and the constant churning and changing feelings that Luke is experiencing. There are so many underlining stories that just made me read the last quarter of the book with pure dread. This is an absolute belting story that covers so many issues. Something happened in the book that I knew would be a game-changer and it put tension into every single page that came after it. This story will simply rip you apart and stay with you. I won't ever forget.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
August 21, 2019
Oh wow. How to describe my response to this one? First, it is so much more than a psychological thriller and I loved this. I'm always hungry for something extra special with my crime-y books, and this was it. It was beautiful, haunting, emotional, and totally addictive. An exploration of love and family, but still a total page-turner. Clare Empson is one to watch!
August 27, 2025
This was not my ‘cup of tea.’ The whinny adopted son. Oh, poor him. So many layers to unfold for each character. All with so much baggage. I wil say the book was well written just not for my taste. I had just read Broken Country by her which I loved….5*** so I guess I expected more on reading a 2nd novel.
,
,
September 23, 2025
Well written. Highly a character drama. Slow and melodramatic. I didn’t connect with really any of the characters, it was always outside looking in. A tad long winded for the amount of true storytelling it covered.
The book goes back and forth in time with Alice and Rick and mainly Alice being central to both time periods. She was dreamy and ethereal but also aloof.
The book goes back and forth in time with Alice and Rick and mainly Alice being central to both time periods. She was dreamy and ethereal but also aloof.
April 9, 2020
Clare Empson hit the ground running with her bestselling debut, 'Him', and now she is back, once again, to give readers sleepless nights, as they ponder what they have just read, and eagerly turn page after page to find out what happens next.
This story is beautifully balanced-on the one hand, is the adopted Luke, birth name Charlie, a grown man and father, who has never quite moved on from the disconnect he feels as an adopted child. His new role in being a partner to Hannah and father to Samuel, has meant a massive upheaval in his emotions and his need to create a secure bedrock for his son . Part of this has him searching for his birth mother, a fact he keeps secret from his adoptive mother.
Luke's tale is alternated between the 'Then' of his birth mother Alice, an art school student with dreams and ambitions at a time when you could act upon them, hired to create album art for an upcoming band. It is supposed that Luke's father is famous artist Richard -or Rick- but as Alice's story unravels, you become less certain of the facts as they have been told to Luke, and begin to feel the ground beneath you wobble, as it does for Luke.
The genius of this book is in it's quiet, almost simplistic story telling nature, it is so cleverly constructed that you don't even realise how much it has sucked you into these people's lives until you have to get up and turn out a light, feed yourself or the pets because you have been reading all day and suddenly it's nighttime. The complex nature of parenthood, the notion that children 'belong' to you and are beholden to you to make successes of their lives, is explored through all the intertwining relationships. There is Alice, with her cold mother and alcoholic father. Jacob, the talented musician and his violent grandfather. Luke with his adoptive parents, sent off to boarding school. Christina, Luke's adoptive mother and the child she was unable to have versus the one that society deemed her fit to raise.
And in the midst of this emotional whirlpool is not only the mystery surrounding Luke's paternity, there is the relationship between Alice and Samuel. With Hannah going back to work, she seems the obvious solution to their child care needs;after all, Samuel loves her and they can all get to know each other better as time passes. What no one has accounted for, however, is the unwelcome guest at the table-jealousy.
Is Luke Charlie if he lets his birth mother become a mother to him as a grown up? Where does his sense of identity lie? How does that change his relationship to his own son and adopted mother? Without an undercurrent of character development, each of these people would have felt like tropes, but Clare writes so well from the point of view of both male, and female, characters, that you feel you are getting an insight into a very real set of people.
With your heart in your mouth , you are completely engrossed in what happens, a very human, very real story with no obvious good vs bad characters and a complex situation which does not gloss over how challenging it is to be a parent. The affirmation of love in contrast to the disdain, or outright hatred that some of these adults exhibit towards their progeny is so well realised.
A thriller,yes, a mystery and a character study, this book suspends your belief and takes you outside of yourself as you let Clare's characters in. She treats all of them with a sense of realness that belies the 'this is the villain', 'this is the good guy' writing which could so easily create stereotypes of maternal/paternal abandonment. Clever, moving and just so engagin, I thoroughly recommend this 5 star read. And a bit of a lie down after finishing to catch your breath, And then go and buy 'Him' because really, Clare is a rising star of fiction writing and you are going to want to add her to your list of favourite writers.
This story is beautifully balanced-on the one hand, is the adopted Luke, birth name Charlie, a grown man and father, who has never quite moved on from the disconnect he feels as an adopted child. His new role in being a partner to Hannah and father to Samuel, has meant a massive upheaval in his emotions and his need to create a secure bedrock for his son . Part of this has him searching for his birth mother, a fact he keeps secret from his adoptive mother.
Luke's tale is alternated between the 'Then' of his birth mother Alice, an art school student with dreams and ambitions at a time when you could act upon them, hired to create album art for an upcoming band. It is supposed that Luke's father is famous artist Richard -or Rick- but as Alice's story unravels, you become less certain of the facts as they have been told to Luke, and begin to feel the ground beneath you wobble, as it does for Luke.
The genius of this book is in it's quiet, almost simplistic story telling nature, it is so cleverly constructed that you don't even realise how much it has sucked you into these people's lives until you have to get up and turn out a light, feed yourself or the pets because you have been reading all day and suddenly it's nighttime. The complex nature of parenthood, the notion that children 'belong' to you and are beholden to you to make successes of their lives, is explored through all the intertwining relationships. There is Alice, with her cold mother and alcoholic father. Jacob, the talented musician and his violent grandfather. Luke with his adoptive parents, sent off to boarding school. Christina, Luke's adoptive mother and the child she was unable to have versus the one that society deemed her fit to raise.
And in the midst of this emotional whirlpool is not only the mystery surrounding Luke's paternity, there is the relationship between Alice and Samuel. With Hannah going back to work, she seems the obvious solution to their child care needs;after all, Samuel loves her and they can all get to know each other better as time passes. What no one has accounted for, however, is the unwelcome guest at the table-jealousy.
Is Luke Charlie if he lets his birth mother become a mother to him as a grown up? Where does his sense of identity lie? How does that change his relationship to his own son and adopted mother? Without an undercurrent of character development, each of these people would have felt like tropes, but Clare writes so well from the point of view of both male, and female, characters, that you feel you are getting an insight into a very real set of people.
With your heart in your mouth , you are completely engrossed in what happens, a very human, very real story with no obvious good vs bad characters and a complex situation which does not gloss over how challenging it is to be a parent. The affirmation of love in contrast to the disdain, or outright hatred that some of these adults exhibit towards their progeny is so well realised.
A thriller,yes, a mystery and a character study, this book suspends your belief and takes you outside of yourself as you let Clare's characters in. She treats all of them with a sense of realness that belies the 'this is the villain', 'this is the good guy' writing which could so easily create stereotypes of maternal/paternal abandonment. Clever, moving and just so engagin, I thoroughly recommend this 5 star read. And a bit of a lie down after finishing to catch your breath, And then go and buy 'Him' because really, Clare is a rising star of fiction writing and you are going to want to add her to your list of favourite writers.
March 24, 2020
I was a huge fan of Clare Empson's first book, Him. It was one of my top reads of last year. I couldn't wait to read Mine but I did wonder, having read the synopsis, whether it would have the same impact for me personally that Him did. I didn't need to wonder, I should have just trusted in Empson's abilities. I absolutely loved Mine!
The book begins with Luke, 27, and his birth mother, Alice, meeting for the first time. Luke, like many adopted children, has always felt out of step with his adopted family. He gets on well with Alice and so does his wife, Hannah, so they decide to ask her to look after their baby, Samuel, when Hannah goes back to work. It seems like a good idea but despite their genetic closeness, Luke doesn’t really know anything about Alice.
I think the synopsis made me think this was going to be a psychological thriller, and there are certainly lots of psychological aspects to it, but it's so much more. It gets right to the heart of emotions and difficult reunions. The story is told in alternating chapters. We hear from Luke in 2000 but we also see Alice in 1972 and we find out what led her to give him up for adoption. It's when it's all put together in context that the pieces really slot together.
What made Him special for me was the beautifully written love affair contained within the pages and that's the major reason I didn't know if Mine would affect me in the same way. However, I was thrilled to find that Empson has again written the affecting story of intense love, heartbreak and loss that I was hoping for. Reader, I cried. The books that stay with me make me cry. Mine will definitely stay with me.
Clare Empson is most definitely an author who I will read without knowing anything about the story. She's so intuitive, and is able to take a dark story and deliver it with feeling. I was utterly gripped by Mine from beginning to end.
The book begins with Luke, 27, and his birth mother, Alice, meeting for the first time. Luke, like many adopted children, has always felt out of step with his adopted family. He gets on well with Alice and so does his wife, Hannah, so they decide to ask her to look after their baby, Samuel, when Hannah goes back to work. It seems like a good idea but despite their genetic closeness, Luke doesn’t really know anything about Alice.
I think the synopsis made me think this was going to be a psychological thriller, and there are certainly lots of psychological aspects to it, but it's so much more. It gets right to the heart of emotions and difficult reunions. The story is told in alternating chapters. We hear from Luke in 2000 but we also see Alice in 1972 and we find out what led her to give him up for adoption. It's when it's all put together in context that the pieces really slot together.
What made Him special for me was the beautifully written love affair contained within the pages and that's the major reason I didn't know if Mine would affect me in the same way. However, I was thrilled to find that Empson has again written the affecting story of intense love, heartbreak and loss that I was hoping for. Reader, I cried. The books that stay with me make me cry. Mine will definitely stay with me.
Clare Empson is most definitely an author who I will read without knowing anything about the story. She's so intuitive, and is able to take a dark story and deliver it with feeling. I was utterly gripped by Mine from beginning to end.
July 5, 2025
Loved this one! This novel was written from two perspectives, Alice's and Luke's, and I thought the storyline was fascinating.
March 24, 2020
This is a psychological thriller with an emotional edge.
Luke had been adopted when very young and he now has a family of his own. He has a young son, Samuel with his partner Hannah.
He is newly reunited with his birth mother, Alice who helps take care of Samuel so Hannah can go back to work.
Told in two distinct times lines, Alice’s from the past and Luke’s in the present and set in the world of art and music.
Without spoiling the plot, this is a beautifully written story with a slowly building tension, a family drama with a twist that’s gripping as you watch someone fall apart.
Thank you to Tracy and Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.
Luke had been adopted when very young and he now has a family of his own. He has a young son, Samuel with his partner Hannah.
He is newly reunited with his birth mother, Alice who helps take care of Samuel so Hannah can go back to work.
Told in two distinct times lines, Alice’s from the past and Luke’s in the present and set in the world of art and music.
Without spoiling the plot, this is a beautifully written story with a slowly building tension, a family drama with a twist that’s gripping as you watch someone fall apart.
Thank you to Tracy and Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.
April 23, 2025
I loved this story of unlikely and complex relationships in which every connection -- mother to child, lover to lover, father to son -- is fraught and sideways. The writer is in complete control and, although the rotating points of view can get thick, the reader holds on.
April 6, 2020
Having a baby is frequently cited as a life-changing experience by many parents but for Luke the instant love he feels for his son, Samuel is bittersweet as he was adopted and though he had a privileged upbringing, he has always felt like an outsider. However, he has managed to trace his birth mother, Alice and Mine opens with their first tentative meeting.
The narrative switches between Luke's storyline and his desperate need to connect with the woman who gave birth to him but then gave him away and Alice's experiences twenty-seven years previously which eventually come to explain why she reached the decision to let her baby son go. Although there is a creeping sense of dread in both storylines, Mine isn't so much a psychological thriller as a beautifully observed, empathetic domestic drama which doesn't seek to assign blame but instead sensitively explores the need to feel wanted and to belong to somebody.
Many of us will have seen television programmes where an adopted child is reunited with one or both of their birth parents but other than a brief update, we don't always discover how these strangers who are so closely related manage to negotiate their new relationships with each another. It's not uncommon for people to claim they feel an instant bond with a long-lost parent or child and that's reflected here with Luke and Alice experiencing an intense connection with one another. Luke's girlfriend, Hannah immediately clicks with Alice too and when they are introduced to Rick, the successful artist who Luke has learned is his father, there is a natural warmth between them all that suggests Luke will finally experience the feeling of belonging he believes has always been missing from his life. In contrast, his relationship with his adoptive mother seems strained and awkward and though she offers to help with Samuel, it seems that she is unable to respect their parenting decisions and instead looks to assert her own beliefs on child-rearing on them.
In 1972, the nineteen-year-old Alice is in her first term at Slade but doubts whether she deserves her place as one of only twelve students accepted on the fine arts degree. Fortunately she has Rick to bolster her confidence and throughout the course of the novel, I loved the beautiful depiction of the friendship between the pair which epitomises the value of platonic love. However, it's her relationship with Jake which I found to be the most compelling part of the book; as a rock star who has already tasted success and looks set for stardom, his interest in the much younger Alice could have felt predatory but the passionate love affair that develops between them is actually deeply touching. As the story progresses and we learn more about their formative years, it isn't surprising that the pair should be so drawn to one another but even when things seem to be almost perfect there is always a sense of uneasy foreboding because we know that eventually Alice will reach the point where she becomes unable to keep her son. There's a heartrending poignancy to these chapters and it's here that the truth as to why the modern day Alice behaves as she does, is finally revealed.
The relationship between Alice and Luke is absolutely fascinating; both are immensely believable, flawed characters who are driven by their pasts to take increasingly desperate action to protect those they love. Although there are times when they are evidently in the wrong, it's impossible not to feel deep sympathy for their anguish - Clare Empson so perfectly captures the unbearable pain of love and loss here. The sense of time is rendered superbly too, especially in the parts of the book set in the seventies where the the attitudes of the time - particularly regarding sexual liberation and homosexuality - are examined, and the music and fashion of the era is used to great effect.
Mine is one of those books that got under my skin, I genuinely cared about these vulnerable, very real characters and although I expected the tears, the intensity of the emotions evoked in the latter part of the novel still caught me by surprise. There's hope here too, however, with the recognition that love and families come in all forms. Engrossing, sensitive and heartbreaking writing such as this deserves every plaudit coming its way and Mine should be an enormous success. I highly recommend it.
The narrative switches between Luke's storyline and his desperate need to connect with the woman who gave birth to him but then gave him away and Alice's experiences twenty-seven years previously which eventually come to explain why she reached the decision to let her baby son go. Although there is a creeping sense of dread in both storylines, Mine isn't so much a psychological thriller as a beautifully observed, empathetic domestic drama which doesn't seek to assign blame but instead sensitively explores the need to feel wanted and to belong to somebody.
Many of us will have seen television programmes where an adopted child is reunited with one or both of their birth parents but other than a brief update, we don't always discover how these strangers who are so closely related manage to negotiate their new relationships with each another. It's not uncommon for people to claim they feel an instant bond with a long-lost parent or child and that's reflected here with Luke and Alice experiencing an intense connection with one another. Luke's girlfriend, Hannah immediately clicks with Alice too and when they are introduced to Rick, the successful artist who Luke has learned is his father, there is a natural warmth between them all that suggests Luke will finally experience the feeling of belonging he believes has always been missing from his life. In contrast, his relationship with his adoptive mother seems strained and awkward and though she offers to help with Samuel, it seems that she is unable to respect their parenting decisions and instead looks to assert her own beliefs on child-rearing on them.
In 1972, the nineteen-year-old Alice is in her first term at Slade but doubts whether she deserves her place as one of only twelve students accepted on the fine arts degree. Fortunately she has Rick to bolster her confidence and throughout the course of the novel, I loved the beautiful depiction of the friendship between the pair which epitomises the value of platonic love. However, it's her relationship with Jake which I found to be the most compelling part of the book; as a rock star who has already tasted success and looks set for stardom, his interest in the much younger Alice could have felt predatory but the passionate love affair that develops between them is actually deeply touching. As the story progresses and we learn more about their formative years, it isn't surprising that the pair should be so drawn to one another but even when things seem to be almost perfect there is always a sense of uneasy foreboding because we know that eventually Alice will reach the point where she becomes unable to keep her son. There's a heartrending poignancy to these chapters and it's here that the truth as to why the modern day Alice behaves as she does, is finally revealed.
The relationship between Alice and Luke is absolutely fascinating; both are immensely believable, flawed characters who are driven by their pasts to take increasingly desperate action to protect those they love. Although there are times when they are evidently in the wrong, it's impossible not to feel deep sympathy for their anguish - Clare Empson so perfectly captures the unbearable pain of love and loss here. The sense of time is rendered superbly too, especially in the parts of the book set in the seventies where the the attitudes of the time - particularly regarding sexual liberation and homosexuality - are examined, and the music and fashion of the era is used to great effect.
Mine is one of those books that got under my skin, I genuinely cared about these vulnerable, very real characters and although I expected the tears, the intensity of the emotions evoked in the latter part of the novel still caught me by surprise. There's hope here too, however, with the recognition that love and families come in all forms. Engrossing, sensitive and heartbreaking writing such as this deserves every plaudit coming its way and Mine should be an enormous success. I highly recommend it.
August 18, 2019
This is the story of Luke and his birth mother Alice who are reunited twenty eight years after Alice gave her baby up for adoption. At first Luke is rapt by his mother - the beautiful 47-year-old Alice, once an artist with a promising future now relegated to painting portraits of pets. Alice steps in to care for Luke’s baby son, Samuel, so that Luke’s partner Hannah can go back to work as an arts correspondent on a broadsheet. But instead of bringing Alice and Luke closer, this child care arrangement pushes them apart.
This is no ordinary novel. What elevates it - to, frankly one of the best books I have read in a long time - is that it is a feast for the senses. Told in two time frames, the past is steeped in the world of the Slade, the paints and the artists' projects as well as the lives of a band called the Disciples, and the charismatic lead singer Jake who is all velvet bell bottoms and long scarves. As Jake and Alice fall deeply in love, we are treated to nights under the stars on the beach, to Chianti in five-litre flagons in Italy, to the paintings and frescoes of Florence - and so much wonderful food. Always Empson lets you see, taste and smell the surroundings of this luxurious novel.
The present is equally as charged as A&R man Luke endeavours to sign a new band as well as navigating us around his local haunts in Clapham. And then Alice introduces him to the man on his birth certificate, Richard Fields, the legendary artist whose work hangs in famous galleries such as MOMA in New York and the Pompidou, and we get to experience this glamorous world too.
Here, character is everything. There are no plot twists that stretch the imagination to breaking point and yet the tension just builds and builds. It is a long time since I have enjoyed a novel quite as much as this one. I couldn’t get enough of it and started to walk around the house reading, as well as eating my breakfast while peering at the pages.
The writing is lyrical, natural - it flows without getting in the way. And although this novel digs deep into pain, particularly that experienced by adoptees, there is so much beauty here. MINE has all the proportions of a Maggie O’Farrell novel, although it has to be said Clare Empson has a style all of her own. Be warned: this novel will take over your life while you are reading it. A beguiling, all-consuming read which I simply adored.
This is no ordinary novel. What elevates it - to, frankly one of the best books I have read in a long time - is that it is a feast for the senses. Told in two time frames, the past is steeped in the world of the Slade, the paints and the artists' projects as well as the lives of a band called the Disciples, and the charismatic lead singer Jake who is all velvet bell bottoms and long scarves. As Jake and Alice fall deeply in love, we are treated to nights under the stars on the beach, to Chianti in five-litre flagons in Italy, to the paintings and frescoes of Florence - and so much wonderful food. Always Empson lets you see, taste and smell the surroundings of this luxurious novel.
The present is equally as charged as A&R man Luke endeavours to sign a new band as well as navigating us around his local haunts in Clapham. And then Alice introduces him to the man on his birth certificate, Richard Fields, the legendary artist whose work hangs in famous galleries such as MOMA in New York and the Pompidou, and we get to experience this glamorous world too.
Here, character is everything. There are no plot twists that stretch the imagination to breaking point and yet the tension just builds and builds. It is a long time since I have enjoyed a novel quite as much as this one. I couldn’t get enough of it and started to walk around the house reading, as well as eating my breakfast while peering at the pages.
The writing is lyrical, natural - it flows without getting in the way. And although this novel digs deep into pain, particularly that experienced by adoptees, there is so much beauty here. MINE has all the proportions of a Maggie O’Farrell novel, although it has to be said Clare Empson has a style all of her own. Be warned: this novel will take over your life while you are reading it. A beguiling, all-consuming read which I simply adored.
April 7, 2020
Well, it’s a fact she did it again! Clare has broken me again! This is the second book I’ve read by her and Him was my book of the year last year, so when I picked this up I thought I knew what to expect! I was wrong.
I knew she would write a story where she had snappy chapters to keep me reading because I had to know what the frick would happen.
I knew she would write a story where we saw what happened in the past to shape the future and then write the present day to see the fallout.
I knew she would write a story where love would be so encompassing and passionate but also destructive.
What I didn’t expect were the number of tears there would be, I still knew there would be some. When we reach the catastrophic events in the past, I was shocked, my world had been rocked because even though you knew something like that would happen you still didn’t expect it to actually happen. Again, Clare has broken me. How a few sentences in a book can destroy you is unreal. You become protective of the people that are involved and you want to change the author’s words to make it all right in the world again. Problem is, as we know, we can’t. We have to somehow accept the events and we have to deal with it just like the characters. Man! How do we do that!
Alice is damaged due to what happened in her past, in the 70s, and Luke, he is damaged due to this past. It is euphoric when we see them meet for the first time, and there is so much hope. A hope that things can finally be different. As in Him, Mine is pivotal around love and destruction and it pulls you in from the opening pages. I couldn’t let go of Alice and Luke’s journey.
Even though this is not a short book, I felt everything was rushed. It was just over too quickly, I mean I just devoured this book and now I am feeling so annoyed with myself that I didn’t savour the book more. I am so bloody gutted it’s over! I just know that anything Clare writes I will be reading, it’s like a compulsion I had to read the story written.
Mine tackles a subject of adoption and the impacts on everyone’s lives that it can have. It is incredibly emotive and it is one that will stay with me. My only complaint is that it is over way too quickly! I do not know what else to say, it will definitely be in my list at the end of the year.
I knew she would write a story where she had snappy chapters to keep me reading because I had to know what the frick would happen.
I knew she would write a story where we saw what happened in the past to shape the future and then write the present day to see the fallout.
I knew she would write a story where love would be so encompassing and passionate but also destructive.
What I didn’t expect were the number of tears there would be, I still knew there would be some. When we reach the catastrophic events in the past, I was shocked, my world had been rocked because even though you knew something like that would happen you still didn’t expect it to actually happen. Again, Clare has broken me. How a few sentences in a book can destroy you is unreal. You become protective of the people that are involved and you want to change the author’s words to make it all right in the world again. Problem is, as we know, we can’t. We have to somehow accept the events and we have to deal with it just like the characters. Man! How do we do that!
Alice is damaged due to what happened in her past, in the 70s, and Luke, he is damaged due to this past. It is euphoric when we see them meet for the first time, and there is so much hope. A hope that things can finally be different. As in Him, Mine is pivotal around love and destruction and it pulls you in from the opening pages. I couldn’t let go of Alice and Luke’s journey.
Even though this is not a short book, I felt everything was rushed. It was just over too quickly, I mean I just devoured this book and now I am feeling so annoyed with myself that I didn’t savour the book more. I am so bloody gutted it’s over! I just know that anything Clare writes I will be reading, it’s like a compulsion I had to read the story written.
Mine tackles a subject of adoption and the impacts on everyone’s lives that it can have. It is incredibly emotive and it is one that will stay with me. My only complaint is that it is over way too quickly! I do not know what else to say, it will definitely be in my list at the end of the year.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 496 reviews