Sunday’s on the Phone to Monday: A Novel
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This novel is about the following family: Claudio, a loving father, forever affected by a past family incident. His sister Jane is clinically institutionalized for schizophrenia, just trying to find the difference between her world and everyone else’s. Mathilde is an actress who now faces the practicalities of raising a family in the city. Her brother Sawyer is an open homosexual who just wants to be with his partner. Natasha, the eldest daughter and the intelligent prodigy loves to learn. Lucy is the middle child with a terminal heart condition and a big capacity for love, which only grows the more ill she falls. And Carly, adopted from China, is preoccupied about her differences and learns how to love oneself.
This family has to come together when secrets are revealed and trying times surface, and find a way to stay strong through it all. Their story is an exploration of what love means and how it is different to everyone. With a plot that is subtle in its progression, it is a treat the way it beautifully unfolds at the end. This is a story about family, and Sunday’s on the Phone to Monday holds true to that.
| Author | |
|---|---|
| Star Count | 4/5 |
| Format | Hard |
| Page Count | 336 pages |
| Publisher | Touchstone |
| Publish Date | 2016-04-05 |
| ISBN | 9781501116872 |
| Bookshop.org | Buy this Book |
| Issue | July 2016 |
| Category | Modern Literature |
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Chloe –
I enjoyed every moment reading this book!
Sunday’s on the Phone to Monday by Christine Reilly
___5__ Stars out of 5
When it comes to finding a book, I feel like every reader has a specific genre they head for. For instance, I tend to head straight for the uplifting young adult novels, and it’s easy to see I’m not alone. While not every book in this genre is always a winner, I usually come across something spectacular every once in a while. Sunday’s on the Phone to Monday by Christine Reilly is an exceptional example of just that. Sunday’s on the Phone to Monday is a heartbreaking coming of age novel about family and growing up, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
The book starts off in the ’90s, where the reader is introduced to Claudio and Mathilde Simone, a young, music-loving couple in love. As the book continues, we learn from different points of view that Claudio and Mathilde settle down, give birth to two girls, Natasha and Lucy, and adopt another one, Carrie. As the three girls grow up, their perspectives are included in their own chapters, so the reader gets to know each of them individually. However, the book doesn’t really start off until Lucy, who is recovering from a recent heart transplant, receives news that her donor heart is rejecting its new body. As Lucy’s life is put on the line, she is forced to put everything she knows into perspective and answer her growing suspicions about her family before it’s too late. While all of that’s going on, the reader also gets to get a glimpse of Mathilde’s and Claudio’s lives before knowing each other, which is where we meet Jane, Claudios older -and mentally ill- sister. While Claudio is distracted with the task of taking care of Jane, Mathilde is busy dealing with the troubles of getting older and experiencing changes in her family dynamic. New characters meet and old ones reunite as the Simones find themselves becoming less and less like the perfect family they appear to be, and everyone finds themselves questioning the fragile balance of this family.
While I’ve read many coming of age books, this one really stood out to me. From the character development to the way I felt like I was really there watching everything happen in real life, Reilly did an incredible job writing this, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anybody who enjoys a fast, fictional read that will leave the reader pondering the plot the entire time. Sundays on The Phone to Monday did a phenomenal job pushing boundaries and giving YA realistic fiction a new reputation, while still representing some of the key feel-good elements one would look for in a book similar to this. Reilly deserved every single one of the 5 stars given in this review, and I encourage anybody looking for a philosophic, contemplative read to pick this up.
In conclusion, while this book was definitely a tear-jerker, it was also heartwarming and sentimental, making it truly a novel to remember. I enjoyed every moment reading this book, and I have confidence that others can be sure to cherish it just as much as I did.