The Kindness of Strangers [Paperback]

Katrina Kittle (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 2, 2007

A young widow raising two boys, Sarah Laden is struggling to keep her family together. But when a shocking revelation rips apart the family of her closest friend, Sarah finds herself welcoming yet another troubled young boy into her already tumultuous life.

Jordan, a quiet, reclusive elementary school classmate of Sarah's son Danny, has survived a terrible ordeal. By agreeing to become Jordan's foster mother, Sarah will be forced to question the things she has long believed. And as the delicate threads that bind their family begin to unravel, all the Ladens will have to face difficult truths about themselves and one another—and discover the power of love necessary to forgive and to heal.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Master caterer Sarah Laden is barely holding her life together as a widow with two difficult sons—recalcitrant teen Nate and troubled fifth-grader Danny—when the unthinkable happens. Her best friend and neighbor, Courtney Kendrick, is arrested in a child sex abuse scandal. Courtney's husband has vanished; their 11-year-old son, Jordan, is in the hospital recovering from a suicide attempt; and across the street Nate is finding, in Jordan's backpack, evidence of unthinkable abuse. Kittle (Traveling Light; Two Truths and a Lie) crafts a disturbing but compelling story line, as Sarah, Nate and Jordan uncover and come to terms with the horror in alternating chapters. Sarah, for instance, is shocked to learn that she dropped off food for the Kendricks' sex parties; Jordan must decide whether or not he wants to continue a relationship with his mother—who insists she's innocent—if and when she gets acquitted. Kittle's research sits awkwardly in expository dialogue—"One in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before their eighteenth birthdays," intones the detective who will later become Sarah's love interest—but it doesn't slow the momentum. Though the movement is toward healing, there are bumpy roads ahead for everybody in this melodramatic but gripping read. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Sarah Laden is a widow with two sons, Nate and Danny, and a thriving catering business. Her best friend, Courtney, helped her through the horrible days after her husband's death and is always there when she's needed. Her son, Jordan, is even Danny's best friend. Then one day all that changes. In a nightmare chain of events, Sarah discovers that she really didn't know Courtney at all and poor, odd Jordan has been living a hell no one could imagine. As Courtney waits in jail, Sarah decides at the request of her older son, Nate, to take on the foster care of Jordan, with all its painful ramifications. Child sexual abuse is hard to read about and Kittle sometimes gets a little heavy-handed with her facts and statistics. But told through the perspectives of Sarah, Nate, Danny, and Jordan, this is ultimately an attractive story of ordinary people trying to make the best of an awful situation and finding the healing power of love and forgiveness in the process. Elizabeth Dickie
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 393 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060564784
• ISBN-13: 978-0060564780
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katrina Kittle lives in Dayton, Ohio, where she teaches English and theater at the Miami Valley School.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!! June 16, 2006

By Valerie

Format:Hardcover

I had little idea what this book was truly about when I picked it up but I am glad I did. I loved it. LOVED IT!!!! As a therapist I work with children who have been sexually abused and I also work with sexual offenders. The author did her homework people! It was accurate and I have a deep appreciation for the realism and not the sensationalized versions I so often see in fictional books. I was in supsense, sick to my stomach, angry, saddened, relieved, and touched by the entire book. I lost sleep but not because I was thinking but because I couldn't put the book down! If I never read another book again I can be proud I read this one. AMAZING!!!

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars one of my favorites from 2006 March 16, 2007

By Ratmammy VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS by Katrina Kittle

March 16, 2007

Rating: 4 Stars

I actually read this book last year, but never got around to doing the amazon review. KINDNESS OF STRANGERS was one of my favorite books from 2006, a book that some will find the subject matter a little hard to take. It centers on one family, and a boy that they take in because his parents are accused of sexually abusing him. The story is something out of today's sordid headlines, but I felt the author did a good job at telling the story and keeping the focus on the family and the boy, and not on the actual acts that were committed on the boy and many others.

The story begins in the present in happier times. But then the reader is taken back to the past with the story of Jordan, the young boy that is being abused, as well as the story of Sarah Laden and her family, and how they cope with the death of their father. They are already going through a lot before they take in Jordan, a boy they had known for a long time but never knew what went on behind closed doors.

What makes things worse is that Sarah had been best friends with the next door neighbors, and to learn of the possibility of sexual abuse was something Sarah refused to believe.

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS was such an engaging novel that I finished it one day. The viewpoints alternate between various characters, giving the reader different sides to the story. Well-written with characters that felt realistic and three dimensional, I highly recommend this book.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A story you won't easily forget . . . March 4, 2006

By Patricia Kay

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS is one of the best books I've ever read. Like Jodi Picoult's MY SISTER'S KEEPER, Ms. Kittle's book haunts you for days after you've finished the last page. I started reading THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS one afternoon and only put it down to sleep and eat, finishing it the next afternoon. The subject matter is tough to read about, yet you cannot stop because you quickly grow to care about all of the characters, especially Jordan. It's horrible that we have such monsters among us--people who prey on innocent children, people who are so sick they make US sick. Bravo, Ms. Kittle. You've written a story every person who cares about children should read.