Nearer Than the Sky: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Nearer Than Perfection
Review: As a parent I found this book terribly disturbing, there were passages that literally made my skin crawl. I could not however put this book down, the story is that compelling and well written. I would highly recommend this novel.

Rating:
Summary: Wow! This book is fantastic!
Review: I am not going to give a story summary - the rest of the reviewers have done a good job at that. What I will tell you is that this book is fantastic. I could not put it down. Lately I have had a hard time focusing on reading because my books have not grabbed at me very well. Nearer Than the Sky grabbed at me. The prose is lyrical, smooth and enchanting. I did not like Greenwoods first book much, but greatly loved this one. I am going to begin Undressing the Moon tonight.

You go Tammy! Keep up the good work.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting, painful, great first book club book
Review: I recently started a book club and chose this book from my most recent personal shipment from Amazon.com I chose this book partially because it contained a reader's guide. I knew I was in "trouble" in terms of getting emotionally involved with this book within the first chapter when Indie is struck by lightening while sitting in a grocery cart (alone @ the age of 4) eating cookies in the rain while her mom goes back into the store with her ill younger sister, Lily... This made me think about how different the ramifications for such an act would be today vs. this book's setting around the 60's. The development of Munchausen by proxy was very interseting and I also learned about Baron von Munchausen for whom this syndrome was named - he was a perpetual liar who could not tell the truth no matter what. Besides the Munchausen syndrome - there was Lily and Indie's brother who was mentally retartded and Indie's responsibility for him - until he dies, we know early in the story that he dies but the facts are saved until near the end as the book flashes forward and back. There was a reference in this novel along the lines of no matter how hard you try - for women especially - there will be some trait of your mother that shows up somewhere. An impactful read especially for anyone who had a hint of a dysfunctional childhood - and who didn't?

Rating:
Summary: A Difficult Subject
Review: Munchaussens by Proxy is a difficult subject to write about. This author handles the subject with grace. The prose was fantastic. T. Greenwood is very talented. I am looking forward to more books by this author. WOW!

Rating:
Summary: Powerful, Disturbing, and Beautiful!
Review: Never has a book inspired so many conflicting emotions within me as "Nearer Than The Sky". T. Greenwood, author of "Breathing Water", has penned an incredibly nuanced story of a family beset by an insidious and dangerous mental illness: Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. This relatively unknown illness goes unreported in so many cases, mostly because it's almost impossible to detect (especially in it's subtler forms), and is hard to prove in a court of law. But it's very real...as real as your baby's next breath.

This is the story of Indie Brown, a woman who wishes that her childhood had never happened. But in the way of all life, nothing is ever completely over and done with. Happily settled into adulthood with her loving and steadfast husband, Peter, Indie begins to be drawn ever so slowly backward into her past when she begins to suspect her sister Lily of causing harm to her own newborn baby. Upon this discovery, Indie realizes that their mother is the one responsible for Lily's illness, as Lily is responsible for her own daughter's mysterious sicknesses.

Writing with poetic insight and incredible subtlety, Greenwood wraps the reader up in the darkness of Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, illustrating its far-reaching effects and ultimately destructive force. Greenwood's characters are multi-dimensional and real, reacting to each crisis in wholly human ways, flawed and believable. With each breathtaking revelation, Greenwood captures the moment with startling clarity and brilliant depiction. Add "Nearer Than The Sky" to your reading list immediately, and grab the tissues. You'll need them.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful, Disturbing, and Beautiful!
Review: Never has a book inspired so many conflicting emotions within me as "Nearer Than The Sky". T. Greenwood, author of "Breathing Water", has penned an incredibly nuanced story of a family beset by an insidious and dangerous mental illness: Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. This relatively unknown illness goes unreported in so many cases, mostly because it's almost impossible to detect (especially in it's subtler forms), and is hard to prove in a court of law. But it's very real...as real as your baby's next breath.

This is the story of Indie Brown, a woman who wishes that her childhood had never happened. But in the way of all life, nothing is ever completely over and done with. Happily settled into adulthood with her loving and steadfast husband, Peter, Indie begins to be drawn ever so slowly backward into her past when she begins to suspect her sister Lily of causing harm to her own newborn baby. Upon this discovery, Indie realizes that their mother is the one responsible for Lily's illness, as Lily is responsible for her own daughter's mysterious sicknesses.

Writing with poetic insight and incredible subtlety, Greenwood wraps the reader up in the darkness of Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, illustrating its far-reaching effects and ultimately destructive force. Greenwood's characters are multi-dimensional and real, reacting to each crisis in wholly human ways, flawed and believable. With each breathtaking revelation, Greenwood captures the moment with startling clarity and brilliant depiction. Add "Nearer Than The Sky" to your reading list immediately, and grab the tissues. You'll need them.

Rating:
Summary: A courageous tale from a fearless writer
Review: This author is nothing less than fearless in the way she tackles a story. She may flinch, but doesn't back down, keeping the pace consistent while looking over her shoulder to be sure the reader is following.

Indie is the young woman struggling to make peace between her present reality and past history. In her childhood Indie relentlessly attempts to create sanity out of insanity. As the middle child, Indie's constant companion is an older brother, Bennie, who is retarded. Their youngest sibling, Lily, is emeshed in the the mother's daily routine, a contestant in children's beauty pageants. Lily's performances in these pageants are weighted with an intolerable burden: whatever the pageant results, the children reap the rewards or punishments of their mother's lack of boundaries or self-restraint.

Their father owns a neighborhood bar, and spends much of his time there. The bar becomes another world to the children, one where they find safety and nurture. In contrast, their home is filled with emotional landmines, triggered by the misstep of a careless child. The parents have established a pattern of domain: the father's world is the bar and he doesn't interfere with the homeground unless the escalation of events force him to take action. In this way, he is also a particpant in the daily family tragedy.

Both Indie and Bennie gravitate to the relative safety of the bar, and spend long hours in the cool darkness it affords. At home, the mother flashes hot and cold, quick with angry outbursts, swiftly punishing hands. The two oldest children learn early to follow their instinct to escape; Lily is not so fortunate, enduring endless visits to the ER for accidents and mysterious ailments.

As she matures, Indie lives as far away from her mother as possible. But when Lily calls asking for help, Indie is drawn back into the vortex of her childhood nightmare. She comes face to face with her deepest fears: "...that we inevitably inherit our mother's gestures", that "... silence is also inherited,... Lily wasn't the only one with a legacy from Ma." The crux of Indie's dilemma is in finding a way to validate her present while admitting the treachery of the past, to cut her losses and create her own safe place. Now there are more than the sisters involved and the consequences are life-changing. She must honestly confront the past and speak about the unspeakable: Bennie's death, her parent's indefensible collusion, and the death of a mother who has been a monster. Indie rises to the occasion with compassion and strength, finally able to defend herself against the infringement of ambient evil that tainted her childhood. She steps fearlessly forward into her own life, shedding the skin that shaped her past and colored her future.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Writing
Review: This is the story of Indie Brown. A young woman who has moved from the drama of her childhood life into a peaceful home in the woods with her partner Peter.

Indie's life has not been an easy one. Her mother suffered from Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. This is a disturbing mental illness that affects all of the family, especially Indie's sister Lily. Lily was her mother's shining star growing up which put her in some grave situations as a child and left her scarred to the core. Indie must return home to the very place where her nightmares began. Her mother is ill and Lily has called Indie to return. Upon arrival, Indie suspects that Lily may be following in their mother's footsteps and wreaking havoc in her own household now.

We are told about the family's plight through a series of flashbacks. It's almost eerie to read about the mother's behaviour and see it through Indie's eyes as a child.

Ms. Greenwood's writing is wonderful and lyrical. I was captivated by the quality of her style.

Indie and Lily's story will stay with me for a long time to come.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Writing
Review: This is the story of Indie Brown. A young woman who has moved from the drama of her childhood life into a peaceful home in the woods with her partner Peter.

Indie's life has not been an easy one. Her mother suffered from Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. This is a disturbing mental illness that affects all of the family, especially Indie's sister Lily. Lily was her mother's shining star growing up which put her in some grave situations as a child and left her scarred to the core. Indie must return home to the very place where her nightmares began. Her mother is ill and Lily has called Indie to return. Upon arrival, Indie suspects that Lily may be following in their mother's footsteps and wreaking havoc in her own household now.

We are told about the family's plight through a series of flashbacks. It's almost eerie to read about the mother's behaviour and see it through Indie's eyes as a child.

Ms. Greenwood's writing is wonderful and lyrical. I was captivated by the quality of her style.

Indie and Lily's story will stay with me for a long time to come.

Rating:
Summary: Eloquently Written Story Telling
Review: This was my first book by T.Greenwood, and I plan to seek out her books from this point onward. Ms. Greenwood has a flair for such poetic and eloquent language, provoking the reader to look for so much more than what is written on the page. Her talent is extraordinary. And her ability to develop characters is flawless as well.

This book weaves from past to present using flashback as a means by which to tell the story of how the characters have become who they are. The main characters are two sisters, Lily and Indie. Separated by miles, and by different relationships with their past, these two are brought together when their mother gets sick. Indie and Lily both became entirely different women, based on their relationship with their mother, who had munchausen by proxy syndrome.

The plot gets thicker as Lily's own baby is inexplicably sick all the time, and as her husband questions whether or not Lily is causing the illnesses. Also of equal complexity, is watching as Indie and Lily come to terms with the truth about their past.

This is a complex, yet beautifully written and quick paced novel. I cannot wait to read more from this talented writer. She is able to create interesting dynamics amongst people, compelling plots, and a fast-paced story. Ms. Greenwood does a great job showing how the past influenced who these two sisters have become, how they handle relationships, and how they perceive themselves vs. how others see them.