Far from the Tree

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway Book Review

For a book that I grabbed on a whim because Barnes & Noble was having a buy one, get one half-off deal, this book is really, really good. 

I realized that I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy lately, which I love, otherwise I wouldn’t be reading it, but this book reminded me of how much I also adore realistic YA fiction. 

Fantasy and realistic fiction are my two favorite genres and I don’t believe I’ve read a realistic novel since Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World so it’s been awhile and it was so refreshing. 

I only grabbed Far from the Tree because of the deal and because it was a National Book Award winner. I supposed it had to be good, right? Turns out that they only give out those awards to really fantastic books. Go figure. 

The novel revolves around three siblings, Grace, Maya, and Joaquin, who just realize that they’re siblings. All three share a mom (and have different dads) and were given up for adoption as babies. They’ve never met their bio mom or each other before. 

The book rotates POV’s between the three siblings and you learn slowly as a reader about each of their lives and what happened to them after being given up by their mom. 

The first of the siblings we’re introduced to, Grace, just had a baby herself at sixteen-years-old. She was adopted into a loving family and decides to give up her baby, nicknamed Peach secretly in her mind, to another couple as she feels like she can’t give Peach what she needs when she’s a kid herself. 

This realization and the love she has for her newborn daughter makes her realize that maybe something similar happened with her own bio mom and she sets off on an adventure to find her bio family, which involves her sister Maya, her brother Joaquin, and their long lost mother. 

Maya, also adopted into a loving home with two parents and a younger sister, has issues of her own, however. Anger eats her up inside and her mom’s alcoholic tendencies, her parents’ constant fighting, and the multitude of secrets she’s keeping start to drag her down. 

The only solace she has is in her girlfriend, Claire, but even Maya manges to ruin that. Grace and Joaquin become the support she never knew she needed. 

Lasly, there’s Joaquin. Unlike his two sister’s, he’s half-Mexican and never officially got adopted. Living his whole life in the foster care system has made it hard to trust people, see his own future, and recognize his own self-worth.

 Even with current loving foster parents wanting to adopt him, Joaquin fears that he’ll ruin everything just like he always does. Only after meeting Maya and Grace does he start to realize that maybe he deserves happiness too. 

This book was genuinely incredible. 

Basically every YA written has an orphaned main character. The statistics of this are on my side, people. However, I don’t think I’ve actually truly read a novel about the realities of being given up for adoption, the reasons why people would do this, and the aftermath of this choice. 

Grace, Maya, and Joaquin tell a poignant story of what family truly means and showcase both the harsh and beautiful realities of adoption, the foster care system, and finding your place in the world when you feel like you don’t have any foundations to speak of. 

This book wasn’t supremely written or contained breathtaking prose, but it didn’t need to be. The content itself more than made this story noteworthy. Not only tackling things like adoption and foster care, but also alcoholism, divorce, anger, therapy, and identity.

 The end of the novel had me in tears for about four chapters, as secrets were revealed and the adventure of finding their bio mom came to a crescendo. 

My only slight criticism is that I do think the story was a little too happy and wholesome. I understand the importance of this, but I do think the realities of the foster care system and finding your biological siblings would probably be more harsh, less idealistic, and a difficult road to traverse. 

There were hurdles, of course there were, but at the end of the day Grace, Maya, Joaquin all loved each other, seemed to fit seamlessly in each other’s lives, and found their way in the world. I recognize how powerful this is, but I do question how realistic it is. 

It’s a slight criticism, but I figured I would mention it. As someone who wasn’t adopted or put in the foster care system, I can’t really comment on the validity of the novel, but I’m sure Benway did her due diligence. 

This book was a great read, both lovely and heartbreaking at the same time. It wasn’t difficult in terms of writing level, but it was gut-wrenching emotionally, and that, to me, is the mark of an excellent book. 

Recommendation: Turns out that Far from the Tree was a National Book Award Winner for a reason. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about adoption or foster care, this is a great start. If you love the found family trope and want a heart warming story filled with three lost people who finally find each other, I 100% recommend you add this to your reading list. 

Score: 8/10