Customer Reviews

Stay

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A year after witnessing the death of her twin brother, Ham, Emily Stone has not uttered a word. Surrounded by her large, self-contained Catholic family, Emily stands alone and sometimes feels invisible because she is so quiet. She is waiting for Ham to return and looks for signs - a bluebird singing, a buffalo nickel. Her three older sisters and two brothers, try to draw her out and include her in their summertime activites. She wants to be part of the group, but is afraid to talk because she might say everything. Instead, she is a silent witness to their activities. Emily remembers the tragedy through flashbacks which sometimes traumatize her and she finds it more and more difficult to stay silent. When she finally speaks, Emily is transformed and brings change to her family.

Mary Sullivan's Stay is rich in detail about life in a large, Catholic family - including the secret life the children are living when the parents are otherwise occupied. Although the story is about Emily and her family, all of whom are dealing with an enormous tragedy, there are many humorous moments. This is a short book which leaves the reader wishing for more as she turns the last page over and over.

I really enjoyed this novel - did not want to put it down. I loved the writing style of Ms. Sullivan such as her use of flashbacks interwoven with the current time and her ability to deeply convey the personality of all characters. I look forward to her second novel.

I am not going to re-hash the plot like so many people do. I liked STAY enough to finish it to the end. However, I did have some problems with it. Not in any particular order: One, I didn't find any redeeming qualities in Emily's sisters or brothers. They generally came across to as mean spirted, rude children. Yes, they had a domineering father, and yes,they had this tragic death of their sibling that they were all, in their own way, trying to work through. However, I would not seek them out as friends nor want to hang out with them on the neighborhood street. As a reader, I just didn't like them! TWO: Emily witnesses the rape of her older sister Elizabeth Ruth, yet this event was never really developed further. It also appears that one of her sisters ( Sarah?) is becoming anorexic. this too was not developed. And the end of the novel? what? Emily witnesses her father raping her mother (apparently not for the first time either,) and then in the end everything is OK.? I found the ending to be very frustrating and unresolved. Ok so what DID I like about STAY ? for a first novel, Mary Sullivan did a great job! It was a good quick read. The character of Emily Stone was thorough, and the flash backs of Ham's accident and subsequent death were believable.

I heard about this novel, in which the narrator has lost her voice, and I thought what a great idea! How is the author going to solve this wonderful problem he has created for himself? I imagined all kinds of interesting formal solutions. I ordered the book and was completely disappointed to begin reading it and find the narrator could speak just fine. She just TOLD us that she couldn't speak. Other characters in the book said, "Gee, you gotta speak again soon," to the narrator. And that was it. And the book went on and on, a totally typical first novel. Though most of the book is spent in uninteresting and immature resentment of the (author's?) parents, there are a few nice bits between the sisters. Not enough to make the book anything other than a long clumsily written bore, though. If the author writes anything else, I might read it just to see what type of thing she writes after she's used up all her anger.

So lyrically written that it is more like listening than reading. The story itself falls apart at the end, but was compelling up until the last 30 or so pages. The author accurately describes the dramas -- large and small -- of childhood and family life. Ms. Sullivan has a gift for language, making it accessible and immediate. I greatly look forward to her next effort. She has a gift.

What a great find. This novel is eloquently written and makes great use of poppycock. I would have given it a six star rating if it included more detail about Chucky cheating at stick ball, and Mark's crush on Buddy Love. Great work Ms. Sullivan.