Father's Day - Simon Van Booy

First sentence: "Harvey was born in a redbrick hospital on a hill."

Even though yesterday was Mother's Day, today I'm writing about Simon Van Booy's newest novel, Father's Day. In this heart-warming tale about what defines a father, six-year-old Harvey loses her parents in a car accident and goes to live with her uncle--her father's estranged older brother, Jason. Their story is told through a series of flashbacks during Jason's Father's Day visit to Paris, where an adult Harvey now lives. Harvey has created a Father's Day box for Jason containing a series of symbolic gifts. Each day Jason removes one of the gifts and opens it during their travels around the scenic city. The unveiling of the gifts are interspersed with flashbacks explaining the significance of the gift in relation to Harvey and Jason's relationship. All of the gifts lead up to mysterious revelation Harvey plans to make to her father.

Jason is a ex-con and a recovering alcoholic with an anger management problem when Harvey comes to live with him. He's disabled from a motorcycle accident and supplements his government assistance by selling things on eBay. Harvey's social worker, Wanda, has a gut feeling that despite these problematic characteristics, he's the ideal placement for Harvey. A veteran of the Children's Services Department, she manipulates the system in order to finagle Jason a trial period as Harvey's guardian, and ultimately the adoption is finalized.

The pair never have a lot, but together they possess everything they truly need and make a complete family. As much as Jason teaches Harvey about life, she reciprocates. They save each other.

Van Booy's stark style makes every sentence burst in this beautiful novel about the value of families, whatever form they take. Jason and Harvey's life together mirrors that spartan style. Jason can't give Harvey a lot of material possessions, grand vacations or elaborate experiences, but she treasures everything they have. He regularly sacrifices for her and she understands the value, seeing the beauty and vulnerability beneath Jason's harsh exterior.

Harvey's voice as a child is as authentic and endearing as Jason's frustrated, adult perspective is empathetic. Van Booy drives home the importance of redemption, even in those society would consider beyond it. Sometimes we need to see those people through the eyes of a child, someone who hasn't learned biases, judgements and most importantly how to hold grudges. 

Early in the novel, when Jason is remembering his younger brother--Harvey's first father--Van Booy says, "He considered how memories hold our lives in place but weigh nothing and cannot be seen or touched." The memories in this charming novel hold the lives of Jason and Harvey in place and they hold the readers captive. Harvey's surprise for Jason at the novel's conclusion may not be a surprise for all readers, but it doesn't diminish the powerful theme behind the novel: a father isn't defined by DNA and dad's don't have to be perfect. The best ones are simply present, making those memories with their children.

Father's Day is available from Harper in hardcover (ISBN: 9780062408945) It's also available as an unabridged audiobook download, narrated by Bronson Pinchot, from Harper Audio.

  

   

My review today is part of the TLC book tour for Father's Day. Check the schedule to see what other bloggers are saying about Simon Van Booy's newest novel.

Disclosure: I do some contractual work for one of the owners of TLC Blog Tours. My work with them does not obligate me to a specific kind of review. The reviews are still my own opinions and reflect only my thoughts on the novels. If you care to read more, you can find more information on my Disclosure page.

Looking forward to 2016 reads

I often get so wrapped in the immediate list of things I have on my reading schedule that I don't look ahead more than that. I thought I'd stop looking at the ground for a little while and glance forward to see what I'm excited about on the reading horizon.

O.k. well, the first book isn't that much forward. It's actually tomorrow. Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X is the first in a new series for him--and it's quite different, but I'll save that for the review. I've been feeling a little withdrawal since I didn't have any Hurwitz last year, but Orphan X is here, so I should get my fix and be fine again.

And next week is Alafair Burke's The Ex.  I haven't had an opportunity to read her books with Mary Higgins Clark, so I'm ready to tear into this one--another author I missed reading last year.

February is bringing The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson, Jo Nesbø's The Midnight Sun and a non-fiction title Incarceration Nations by a John Jay professor named Baz Dreisinger.

Also in February--it's a good month for books--is Daniel Black's Listen to the Lambs, Neal Griffin's A Voice from the Field,  and Johnny Shaw's Floodgate. Very different books, but all titles to look forward to.

One of the debut's I'm looking forward to comes out in February as well: Out of the Blues by Trudy Nan Boyce. 

March has Lyndsay Faye's Jane Steele, Lisa Lutz's The Passenger and a couple of historical fiction titles I'm excited about: Mrs. Houdini by Victoria Kelly and Hanging Mary by Susan Higginbotham.

And I have to admit I'm rather intrigued by Keri Smith's Wander Society.

Steve Hockensmith wants us to Give the Devil His Due in the next Tarot Card mystery, out in April along with Simon Van Booy's Father's Day.

We have to wait until September for the next Walt Longmire novel, but May will bring a new novella, The Highwayman.  I eagerly anticipate BOTH!

Also in May is another debut I'm excited about, Mission Hill by Pamela Wechsler. She's written for TV and now she's starting a legal thriller series. Another TV writer with a book out in May is Noah Hawley whose Before the Fall I'm looking forward to.

And...and...and...the next Fredrik Backman book comes out in May! Britt-Marie Was Here. I can hardly sit still when I type this. If you read My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, you'll know Britt-Marie was a character in that book. It sounds like the new one combines the best qualities of his first two books...but you know my feelings, everything about those two books were spectacular. I just can't wait for this one!  

Finally for May, John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard wrap up The Chronicles of the Invaders trilogy with Dominion. I've really enjoyed this YA series...and it's sci-fi. Who knew?

June brings back Shake Bouchon in Double Barrel Bluff (I just love his titles!). I can't wait for this book, partly because I want to read the Skype seen. Lou did research for that scene while we conducted an interview via Skype! But more than anything, I love Lou Berney's writing. It's such a treat whenever there's a new book from him.

Property of the State is out in June from Bill Cameron. This is a YA and I'm rather excited to see what Cameron is going to deliver in this younger age bracket.

Also breaking into the YA realm this year is Louis Bayard with Lucky Strikes. All one needs to say is that a new Bayard is coming, and I get goose bumps.

In August, Michael Koryta's second Mark Novak novel will come out. Which gives me time to read the first. It is one of the titles on my 2015 list I still hope to get to. And W. Bruce Cameron has another Repo Man book coming!

Sean Chercover will wrap up the Game Trilogy in September with a very fitting title, The Apocalypse Game. And Chris Holm releases Red Right Hand...another one I have to get to from my 2015 list is The Killing Kind. I have to do so before September!

Very quickly, a couple that have already released: Marcus Sakey's final book in the Brilliance trilogy: Written in Fire (does it seem like a lot of trilogies are wrapping up this year?!) and Reed Farrel Coleman's Where It Hurts. I reviewed Coleman's book for Shelf, but I have to get to Sakey's, I can't let that one go unread!

**Correction** Coleman's book comes out next week. It's only January and I'm already losing track of time. Good gracious!

Lots of goodness coming in 2016, right? I'm sure there's more I should have on my list, so let me know what you're looking forward to this year.

Happy Reading!