Book Review of Where We Belong: 3 Treasure Boxes
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (July 24, 2012), File Size: 477 KB, Print Length: 383 pages, ASIN: B0071NMK66

Marian is a successful television producer and she has everything, a great job, a wonderful boyfriend, and a big secret. A secret that she has kept for 18 years, but which is about to be exposed to the world. When 18 year old Kirby knocks on her door, she sees her daughter for the first time in 18 years and Marian is forced to examine the decisions she made 18 years ago.

Emily Giffin has written numerous books, and they all fall into the chick-lit genre but Where We Belong is also a drama and a romance story. It is told in a first person narrative alternating between the main protagonist, Marian’s and her daughter Kirby’s point of view.

The theme of this book is secrets, and it reveals the power of destruction behind the secret. The story shows how a secret can become an emotional barricade that separates us from the people in our lives. The characters are all well rounded and interesting. My favorite character was Kirby, she knew what she wanted and she went after it, even though she was afraid and she did not know how she would be received. Although I could not really understand why she had a difficult time with her parents, I still thought it was believable. I also loved all the scenes with Conrad, because he was an intriguing and sexy character.

Where We Belong is a standalone novel that captured my interest from the very first line and I thought the story built up to a satisfying ending. There were no real surprises and it pretty much went where I thought it would. I recommend this book as a very good read and I stayed up late several nights because I found it hard to put down.

 Favorite Quotes:

“So I guess what I’m trying to say is that life is fast. And it keeps speeding up. Sometimes I lose track of the season-or even the year. And we just have to make the best of it all. Our choices. Our fleeting moments together.” (location 3973)

 “Although too much time has gone by to miss her, I feel regret that I didn’t maintain our friendship. Even if we no longer have much in common, we would have always had the past, which, in some ways, is just as important as the present or future. It is where we come from, what makes us who we are”. (location 4284)

 “It’s about wanting something real-even if it’s messy and complicated. It’s what Kirby has taught me.” (location 5151)

Question to Ponder:

Often in the book Ms. Giffin states that secrets and lies are the same thing, do you agree, do you think they are the same thing? 

To Purchase: “Where We Belong” from Amazon, click here or on picture above