Without a Backward Glance

A page-turner! Looking forward to a sequel! Complex characters we can all relate to. Impressive for a first-time novelist.

This book deals with a very compelling (and sometimes difficult) storyline -- a mother who abandons her four children and her husband on Christmas Eve. I hesitate to admit this, but at the beginning of the novel when the mother was sharing her feelings, I could almost relate to some of what she was saying. I have to say that I would never leave my husband and children; in fact, I don't even have those thoughts -- but this book definitely made me think about what makes some people act in these extreme ways. Is there something that pushes certain people over the edge; what separates them from "normal" people, are they really that different from the rest of us? I really enjoyed how the author allowed the reader to see into the thoughts and feelings of all the characters in the book. I felt as if I could understand each of them (notice I did not say like or even relate!) Each of the children were definitely affected in their own way by their mother's abandonment; and I found it fascinating to see how each one handled it -- especially since most of them were not healthy, constructive ways. I appreciated how this book dealt with the ultimate of family crises with a great deal of compassion and also with so much honesty. I found myself very intrigued with this book. Despite not really liking most of the characters, I still felt sorry for them and wanted them to find some peace in their life (except for the mother, I positively hated her!) I enjoyed watching each of the characters "reconcile" with their mother and ultimately come to terms with her departure. I also liked seeing the dynamics between the children and their father as well as their interaction with each other! What was even more interesting to me was the relationships these children ended up having with their spouses and their children. It's incredible how one event (albeit a huge one) can have such long lasting effects on so many people! I was thoroughly impressed with Ms. Veitch's writing -- it's hard to believe that she is a first time novelist! I found it very interesting that WITHOUT A BACKWARD GLANCE was published in Australia with a totally different cover (partial shot of a woman) and the title LISTEN. (I think I prefer the U.S. title, so I guess they did a good job with the U.S. marketing of this book.) Not only did I think that Ms. Veitch's told a wonderful story, but I also found that she wrote with so much honesty. I look forward to reading more from Kate Veitch in the future.

Early on in Kate Veitch's novel, Without A Backward Glance, the young and ever inquisitive Olivia eavesdrops from under her parent's window, having decided that "being good was no match for being well informed". Throughout the novel, Veitch's characters each grapple in their own way with the complexities of action and responsibility, with the ways in which baffling loss might be reconciled in their own lives and in their relationships with others. Veitch's characters are beautifully and believably written. Her use of multiple perspective is a device that works particularly well in revealing the intricacies of each character and showing the ways in which loss can be so deeply embedded it is often unable to be fully understood or articulated. Veitch's writing is sophisticated but not to the detriment of great storytelling, so this book should appeal to a broad audience. Like many other reviewers here have expressed, the novel draws the reader in with a compulsion and a voracity that feels a little bit like listening at the door - it's hard to pull yourself away. Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful story about that most difficult of subjects, an abandoning mother. It tells the story of what might plausibly cause a woman to leave her family without a word. The consequences of this disappearance for her family are profound. It examines with great insight and sensitivity the situation from each member of the family's perspective. Each character copes in a different way and struggles to connect with the others in sharing the grief of their mother's disappearance. I felt empathy for each of them in turn. There is great satisfaction in the writing, it is nuanced and keenly observed. A fabulous read. Highly recommended.

Make sure you have a few days to pour over "Without a Backward Glance" -- you won't want to put it down. What struck me most about the book was the author's ability to weave so many characters into a solid family fabric; it takes real skill to have wildly different personalities actually read as coming from the same upbringing. I particularly enjoyed how multifaceted the women are in the book; so many fiction writers create female characters who just don't have the complexity of desires and reason that real women do. Highly recommended!