Stay
An unforgettable novel about the power of friendship and kindness by the New York Times bestselling author of Pay It Forward.
In the summer of 1969, fourteen-year-old Lucas Painter carries a huge weight on his shoulders. His brother is fighting in Vietnam. His embattled parents are locked in a never-ending war. And his best friend, Connor, is struggling with his own family issues. To find relief from the chaos, Lucas takes long, meandering walks, and one day he veers into the woods.
There he discovers an isolated cabin and two huge dogs. Frightened, he runs. And the dogs run with him. Lucas finds unusual peace in running with the dogs, and eventually he meets their owner, Zoe Dinsmore. Closed off and haunted by a tragic past, Zoe has given up. She doesn't want to be saved. She wants out. But Lucas doesn't want her to go, and he sees an opportunity to bring more than one friend back into the light. It's either the best or worst idea he's ever had, but Lucas isn't giving up on Zoe or Connor.
Their unexpected connection might be the saving grace that Zoe thought she'd lost, that Connor needs, and that Lucas has been running toward.
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Community Reviews
Catherine Ryan Hyde writes about the human spirit in a straight-forward and authentic, but deeply compassionate manner. She showcases her characters' resiliency, and how being or becoming part of a community inspires them to want to be better -- for themselves and those they have come to love. In Stay, employing her signature style, she explore several difficult topics, including suicide, addiction, and post-traumatic stress suffered by veterans. The result is an uplifting story, full of hope, about the futility of isolation, individual choices, and affording others the dignity to make their own choices.
Lucas does not want to be on the track team, but he does enjoy running in the woods -- precisely where his mother has told him not to go, warning him that he might get lost. His first-person narrative gives insight into his thoughts and feelings about the stressors in his life. He takes up running because he finds it impossible to "think any real thoughts at the same time. That was the whole point of doing the thing." His brother, Roy, is stationed in Vietnam, and his parents fight constantly. In fact, they are so busy fighting, Lucas feels that he is largely invisible to them. So he does go running in the woods and, in fact, gets lost. But he happens upon a cabin and a massive dog house, as well as not one, but two huge dogs. To his surprise, he realizes that the dogs just want to run and play with him. So he begins running with them every morning before school.
But one morning, Lucas discovers Zoe, the older woman who owns the dogs, lying in bed in the cabin, unresponsive. He runs home, telephones for help, and in doing so, saves her life. Lucas' choice to disregard his mother's order and make it his habit to run with the dogs each morning sets in motion a series of events that change the trajectory of Zoe's life, along with Lucas'.
Hyde reveals that Zoe attempted suicide because she has been living with the guilt and far-reaching repercussions of a tragedy that occurred years ago. She has deliberately isolated herself out in the woods, and has no desire to continue living. But when Lucas realizes that she still wants to end her life, but loves the dogs and wants them cared for, he angrily and bravely makes clear that he will not look after them when she is gone. Her attitude spurs his curiosity, and he learns about her shocking history and why she is so determined not to go on living.
The choice to continue living is a theme that Hyde weaves throughout the story, examining it through Connor's struggle with depression, as well as the problems his mother deals with, especially after his parents' marriage finally falls apart. Lucas is a true friend to Connor, and Connor's family problems trouble him greatly. He worries about Connor but is not sure how to help. He will not give up on Zoe, either, and gradually manages to forge a friendship with her.
Hyde details how Lucas learns life lesson from the cantankerous Zoe, who recognizes that Lucas is a boy who takes on everyone else's struggles, and tries to convince him that he'll "have a much happier life if you get a strong bead on what's your responsibility and what isn't." That advice informs his relationship with and desire to help Connor come to terms with his own dysfunctional family.
It also figures prominently in Lucas' relationship with his older brother, Roy, who returns unexpectedly from Vietnam, forever changed. Roy made choices in Vietnam that will impact him for the rest of his life, and Lucas discovers that Roy cannot be helped until he is ready to receive help. As with Zoe and Connor, Lucas learns about supporting a loved one, and facilitating their effort to receive assistance. Through Roy, Hyde challenges readers to consider the impact of war and, more particularly, the Vietnam War, upon warriors.
Hyde's characters, with all of their faults and flaws, are compellingly empathetic. The dogs play prominent roles in the story because of their connection to the characters and the ways in which the characters' feelings for and reactions to them illustrate the characters' core values and traits. Lucas' voice is heartbreakingly resonant, genuine, and thoroughly believable. She has crafted a lovely story about ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges with the best intentions and integrity, but who aren't equipped with the coping skills required to overcome the issues they face. But they do have resilience, as well as strength and courage that they are surprised to learn they possess.
Lucas' one choice sets in motion events that have far-reaching, multi-generational consequences, but Hyde passionately conveys that nothing in the lives of Lucas or his loved ones is a mistake. As always, Hyde's commitment to her subject matter and affection for her characters is evident, and she provides readers with difficult themes and complicated issues upon which to reflect, and ponder how they might respond to similar challenges.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
Lucas does not want to be on the track team, but he does enjoy running in the woods -- precisely where his mother has told him not to go, warning him that he might get lost. His first-person narrative gives insight into his thoughts and feelings about the stressors in his life. He takes up running because he finds it impossible to "think any real thoughts at the same time. That was the whole point of doing the thing." His brother, Roy, is stationed in Vietnam, and his parents fight constantly. In fact, they are so busy fighting, Lucas feels that he is largely invisible to them. So he does go running in the woods and, in fact, gets lost. But he happens upon a cabin and a massive dog house, as well as not one, but two huge dogs. To his surprise, he realizes that the dogs just want to run and play with him. So he begins running with them every morning before school.
But one morning, Lucas discovers Zoe, the older woman who owns the dogs, lying in bed in the cabin, unresponsive. He runs home, telephones for help, and in doing so, saves her life. Lucas' choice to disregard his mother's order and make it his habit to run with the dogs each morning sets in motion a series of events that change the trajectory of Zoe's life, along with Lucas'.
Hyde reveals that Zoe attempted suicide because she has been living with the guilt and far-reaching repercussions of a tragedy that occurred years ago. She has deliberately isolated herself out in the woods, and has no desire to continue living. But when Lucas realizes that she still wants to end her life, but loves the dogs and wants them cared for, he angrily and bravely makes clear that he will not look after them when she is gone. Her attitude spurs his curiosity, and he learns about her shocking history and why she is so determined not to go on living.
The choice to continue living is a theme that Hyde weaves throughout the story, examining it through Connor's struggle with depression, as well as the problems his mother deals with, especially after his parents' marriage finally falls apart. Lucas is a true friend to Connor, and Connor's family problems trouble him greatly. He worries about Connor but is not sure how to help. He will not give up on Zoe, either, and gradually manages to forge a friendship with her.
Hyde details how Lucas learns life lesson from the cantankerous Zoe, who recognizes that Lucas is a boy who takes on everyone else's struggles, and tries to convince him that he'll "have a much happier life if you get a strong bead on what's your responsibility and what isn't." That advice informs his relationship with and desire to help Connor come to terms with his own dysfunctional family.
It also figures prominently in Lucas' relationship with his older brother, Roy, who returns unexpectedly from Vietnam, forever changed. Roy made choices in Vietnam that will impact him for the rest of his life, and Lucas discovers that Roy cannot be helped until he is ready to receive help. As with Zoe and Connor, Lucas learns about supporting a loved one, and facilitating their effort to receive assistance. Through Roy, Hyde challenges readers to consider the impact of war and, more particularly, the Vietnam War, upon warriors.
Hyde's characters, with all of their faults and flaws, are compellingly empathetic. The dogs play prominent roles in the story because of their connection to the characters and the ways in which the characters' feelings for and reactions to them illustrate the characters' core values and traits. Lucas' voice is heartbreakingly resonant, genuine, and thoroughly believable. She has crafted a lovely story about ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges with the best intentions and integrity, but who aren't equipped with the coping skills required to overcome the issues they face. But they do have resilience, as well as strength and courage that they are surprised to learn they possess.
Lucas' one choice sets in motion events that have far-reaching, multi-generational consequences, but Hyde passionately conveys that nothing in the lives of Lucas or his loved ones is a mistake. As always, Hyde's commitment to her subject matter and affection for her characters is evident, and she provides readers with difficult themes and complicated issues upon which to reflect, and ponder how they might respond to similar challenges.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
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