Where We Belong

I always love Emily Giffin books for their complexity. She has a way of taking a group of characters on a journey and examining an issue from multiple viewpoints... really wringing it out until there's nothing left to be taken from the experience.

And this time, that subject was adoption and the effect on everyone involved. We open from the viewpoint of Marian, the birth mother, which was a great perspective, particularly in that (very small spoiler) we get to see her reaction as she gets a surprise of someone she isn't expecting to see appearing on her doorstep at the end of an emotional evening. I think it wouldn't have packed the same emotional punch in the reverse.

Kirby has struggled to fit in with the family that has raised her. show more HER family. She isn't like them, even though she loves them, and in the wake of hurtful words and with the decision of what to do for college looming, she makes the decision to seek her birth mother out. I liked the twists and turns in this. show less

May contain minor spoilers, but likely nothing you won't infer from the jacket copy.

Emily Giffin’s Where We Belong struck a deep chord with me. Having guessed the connection between Kirby and Marian simply from reading the cover blurb (as you likely have, too), I figured this story of first love, youth and redemption would ultimately bring me to tears. And it did.

Marian is the sort of polished, Type-A New Yorker often populating women’s fiction. Determined to make it big from an early age, she’s dedicated her professional life to paying her dues and moving swiftly up the ladder — and her relationship with Peter, the head of her TV network, doesn’t hurt. Still, she believes their love is genuine; their affection is clear, show more anyway. And that feels good enough. For a while.

Outgoing Kirby, preparing for her high school graduation, has always felt separate from her hard-working parents and perfect younger sister. Aware she was adopted at birth, Kirby doesn’t bear any ill will toward her family or carry a chip on her shoulder about her biological parents . . . but she’s always wondered about them, thought of them, maintained an active curiosity about who and where they were. As her eighteenth birthday approaches, she’s able to request the name of her biological mother — which leads her to Marian, logically. But fearing her parents’ hurt feelings regarding her search, she chooses to keep her quest secret.

Marian herself is a bit of a vacuum. Beyond her ambition and high-powered TV job, we don’t know much about her — and live more in the past, in fact, than we do in the present. Where We Belong flashes between present day and life for Marian and her first love almost two decades earlier, before life became undeniably complicated. As Marian’s story unfolds, it’s hard at times to sympathize with her and her decisions . . . but I tried to put myself in her place, questioning what I would do as a scared 18-year-old deeply flushed with shame, doubt and uncertainty.

The story really picks up as Marian and Kirby reunite in search of their shared link. I found the flashbacks of Marian and Conrad’s summer together very romantic, authentic and painful. Giffin perfectly crystallizes that moony, delightful stage of first love — a time that can never be recaptured again. My heart broke as the story unfolded, desperately hoping things could turn out differently . . . but knowing they couldn’t. And wouldn’t. Where We Belong’s main strength came in the form of these recollections, I think, and how much they made my heart hurt. Giffin knows her stuff.

The subject of adoption is handled with a great deal of grace and sensitivity, too. Always aware that Kirby already has a mother, Marian treads their new relationship carefully. She acts more like a protective aunt, or an older friend, and is always sure to avoid stepping on the Roses’ toes. I respected her for backing away when she needed to, and for paying careful attention to Mrs. Rose’s feelings. It was the kind, mature thing to do.

I read this entire book on a five-hour plane ride, racing to find out what would become of this beleaguered crew. Though I had a few quibbles with the plot’s predictability, it was nothing that ultimately hurt the story for me. Giffin delivers good women’s fiction, that’s for sure, with a cast of dimensional characters and a story of love and redemption I couldn’t put down. Though it didn’t have the punch of Something Borrowed, my favorite of her novels, it resonated with me. And I think it’ll resonate with you, too. show less

I didn't expect to like this book as it is of a genre that I seldom read and the beginning was rather boring. However, the story picked up when Marian began to deal with her feelings and began to accept Kirby. Here, the alternation of the protagonist's voice works very well as it brings out their feelings and thoughts perfectly. Even when describing the other person, it works very well too. Kirby's mom is scared that she may lose her daughter but as readers, we know that Kirby is 'loyal' to the parents who brought her up and always calls them 'my' mom and dad. Kirby's relationship with Marian is more like friends. We, the readers, have insight into this. As for the ending, it leaves readers to imagine and hope that Marian and Conrad can show more be together again. I don't mind reading a sequel, if there is one, on their reconciliation. show less

I wasn't expecting an intellectual encounter but neither did I think that I would be reading adolescent tripe with a thinly veiled pro-life message. I think that even if I'd read this book as a teenager, I'd have been disappointed.
Trite, with unloveable characters, this book is dull and predictable.

I've read and enjoyed all of Emily Giffin's novels. Where We Belong was not a disappointment. The two protagonists had alternating chapters so it was interesting to read the alternating points of view. While certain aspects of the storyline were predictable, it held my interest throughout.

This novel has a touching storyline about important decisions we make and how those decisions can affect our lives in the long run. The decisions we make not only affect us but our families, friends and others close to us.

Some of the subjects in this story include adoption, parenthood, families, lies, secrets and matters of the heart. Because of the storyline and the well-developed, strong, main characters, I can envision a sequel which I will look show more forward to reading. show less

This is my favorite Emily Giffin novel so far! I found these characters much easier to relate to, as I found them to have greater depth than some characters in her earlier novels. The story line was gritty and raw. Just an overall good read.

Ik verwachte dat ik in een chicklit belande toen ik dit boek ging lezen,maar dat was helemaal niet zo,het was een prachtige roman.
Een roman die ook zeer zeker voor de jeugd geschikt is,je leest de verhalen in de ik vorm van Marjan en Kirby zodat je een verhaal van een volwassene en eentje van iemand van 18 jaar krijgt.In het begin van het boek had ik veel meer begrip voor Kirby maar hoe verder ik kwam kon ik ook het verhaal van Marjan wel waarderen.
Het verhaal van Kirby word op het eind mooi afgesloten terwijl ik dat van Marjan een beetje open houd.(daar had ik graag nog meer van gelezen)
Het boek leest als een sneltrein en verveeld geen moment en heeft me toch wel geraakt.