This one turned out to be a mixed bag for me. The voices of the two main narrators, 12 yr. old Matilda and 9 yr. old Franny were wonderful and engaging. Franny see numbers in her head, she is autistic. Though this is never actually stated and since the author has a son who is autistic, Frannys behavior was very real, her fears and needs related so that the reader could feel her vulnerability to various people, situations and stimuli. I also admit to being hooked in the beginning by the girls and the situation they find themselves in and wanted to keep reading to find out what was going on, what was going to happen and what happened in the past that made this all necessary.

Therese and Leah, the two main adults in the novel I had a harder time connecting to or even liking. Therese seemed to only care about her motives, she could have explained to her daughter what was going on, but did not. Secrets kept and lives filled with secrets rarely turn out well. Leah, though having a traumatic childhood, I had a very hard time understanding. The decisions she made I could understand short term but not long term.
Plus the way these two women handled things just filled me with anger and sympathy for the two girls.

As one can see the story is intriguing, the two young girls evoke sympathy and caring and the book is written in a somewhat different fashion that I enjoyed.

ARC from publisher. ( )

Unfolding primarily through the perspectives of twelve year old Matilda and nine year old Franny, Left is an emotional novel about mothers and daughters, of family secrets, betrayal and forgiveness.

One morning, Therese bundles Matilda and Franny into the family car, their belongings crammed into garbage bags, and refusing to answer any questions, drives to the home of an old friend, Leah. Matilda and Franny are bewildered by Therese’s behaviour, even more so when, the next morning, Therese abandons Franny to Leah’s care without a word of explanation, taking only Matilda with her to start over in another town.

The perspectives of Matilda and Franny are beautifully written. Matilda’s confusion and resentment at her mother and the situation is clearly communicated. Her bond with Franny is sweet and her promise to return to her sister is heartfelt and touching.
Franny is an unusual child who recites letters in her head. Though it is never explicitly stated, Franny is autistic, as is the authors daughter, and her perspective is unique. She tries desperately to make sense of her mother’s desertion and aches for her sister, but also quickly becomes attached to Leah.

Manipulative and selfish, Therese is not a likeable character. She is running to protect herself, refusing to acknowledge her poor decisions and denying responsibility for her actions, both past and present, viewing herself as a victim.
I wasn’t a fan of Leah either, I had a lot of trouble understanding her decision which was perhaps wise in the short term, but unacceptable in the long term. There also seems to be some issues regarding her mental stability which makes me wonder if she is the best person to raise Franny.

A character driven story with a measured pace, Left is an engaging, poignant novel, and confident debut from Tamar Osowski. ( )