Love in the Present Tense

Love in the Present Tense by Catherine Ryan Hyde


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
What I liked: This book jumped around between time and characters. It gave the book a jointness that can usually be hard to capture when telling a story this complicated. It made beautiful points about love and how we love.

What I didn't like: A few of the secondary characters were a little flat.

Final Thoughts: I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. Don't let the first chapter deter you from reading this book.

Pub. Date: July 2007

Synopsis: For five years Pearl has managed to keep the past from catching up to her and her bright, frail five-year-old son. Life has given her every reason to mistrust people, but circumstances force her to trust her neighbor Mitch with watching Leonard while she goes off to work. Then one day Pearl drops her son off…and never returns.
They are an unlikely pair: Mitch is a young, unattached business owner, and Leonard is a precocious, five-year-old boy. But together they must find a way to move forward in the wake of Pearl’s unexplained disappearance. Their bond as parent and child shifts and endures, even as Mitch must eventually surrender Leonard to a two-parent home.
Is it possible to love the people who can’t always be there for us? The answers will surprise and move you. As their lives unfold, profound questions emerge about the nature of love and family. Ultimately, this novel’s richest reward is watching Mitch and Leonard grow up together, through the power and the magic of the human heart.

Recommended Reading:
Oxygen by Carol Cassella
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf