Where the Heart Is

In this novel, a pregnant teenager gets abandoned in a small town where she doesn't know anyone. She begins connecting with strangers, one at a time, studying them and deciding which ones are safe to talk to. Eventually, the main character has built a complete support network for herself and her child. I love the way author Billie Letts describes the process of talking to strangers and connecting with them until they become some of our closest friends. It's the same way I get candy from strangers in real life.

The rawness of the story, mixed with hope and drive, makes for a heartbreaking and heartwarming tale. I’ve never been more invested in characters and cared about how their upbringing, or lack of it, affected their beliefs and life than until I read this novel. The story has forever stayed with me and was one of the first adult novels I ever remember reading. I’d never experienced a small town or such a community in my real life but was able to in this story. 

Because it really is about where the heart is, a tribute to the fact that one really can find love out in the world among strangers: brotherly or sisterly love that comes from the kindness and caring of good people; or the romantic love of someone who has given up their life’s dream to care for an ailing alcoholic. These may seem like ideals that can ‘only exist in a storybook’, but they are based, I believe, in the truth of the real world, if one is brave or desperate enough to seek them out; or, like Novalee, one has… show more.