A totally different genre of book for me this time. ‘Brave Girl, Quiet Girl’ by Catherine Ryan Hyde is a truly heart-warming, sentimental story of how two different lives collide after an event brings them together.
The story begins with Brooke, a single mum to her beloved 2 year old daughter Etta. Brooke’s marriage broke down after she decided to have her baby (Etta) even though her ex-husband David had always been adamant he never wanted children.
With Brooke’s finances at an all time low after her divorce and a toddler to take care of, she resorts to moving back into her mother’s home. Straight from the beginning of the book you see the caustic relationship that Brooke and her mother share.
The story starts with Brooke’s mother nagging and shouting at her to take the child out for fresh air. So Brooke takes Etta to the cinema, but on their return home, they get car-jacked at a set of traffic lights. Brooke gets pulled out of the car onto the road, and the assailant drives away unaware that Etta is fast asleep in her car seat in the back.
Brooke’s world comes crashing down as the car disappears into the distance. So heart wrenching!
This is where the story changes to a another character named Molly. She’s a 15 year old girl whose been homeless for 3-4 months after being discarded by her rigid, dismissive parents. As she’s walking back to her place for the night, she spots the baby seat, thinking she can sell it to raise some money for food and is extremely shocked to find a toddler still in the seat.
This is where the real beauty of Catherine Ryan Hyde’s story comes into being. The kindness and warmth Molly shows Etta is so touching, it actually brought a tear to my eye. Molly’s whole night totally changes to solely take care of this little helpless human being.
I adore how Catherine Ryan Hyde has written this story. Her interpretations into the contrasting lives of the two main female characters by throwing light on their exaggerated feelings of fear, emotion and changes due to the car jacking incident is a compelling read.
This story will get you questioning the what if and how, if you were ever in the same situation. The author definitely touches on genuine emotions and the harsh realities of life.
I have really enjoyed reading Brave Girl, Quiet Girl and have now added another two out of the thirty nine books Catherine Ryan Hyde’s has written to my reading wish list. These include ‘My Name is Anton’ and ‘Have you Seen Luis Valez?’.
Happy Reading Everyone!
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