Relativity by Antonia Hayes

Release Date: May 3rd, 2016
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 368 Pages
Series: None
Format: ARC
Source: From Publisher
Reason: For Review
Find the Author: Website
Buy the Book: Amazon CA | Amazon

Twelve-year-old Ethan Forsythe, an exceptionally talented boy obsessed with physics and astronomy, has been raised alone by his mother in Sydney, Australia. Claire, a former professional ballerina, has been a wonderful parent to Ethan, but he’s becoming increasingly curious about his father’s absence in his life. Claire is fiercely protective of her talented, vulnerable son—and of her own feelings. But when Ethan falls ill, tied to a tragic event that occurred during his infancy, her tightly-held world is split open.
Thousands of miles away on the western coast of Australia, Mark is trying to forget about the events that tore his family apart, but an unexpected call forces him to confront his past and return home. When Ethan secretly intercepts a letter from Mark to Claire, he unleashes long-suppressed forces that—like gravity—pull the three together again, testing the limits of love and forgiveness.

It has been a long time since I have come across a story that has stolen my heart like Relativity has. In it's 368 pages Relativity manages to capture the story of a beautiful relationship between a boy and his mother, a story between a woman and her whirlwind romance with a studying physicist and a story about a man and the painful past that tore him away from his family. Told in multiple perspectives, the book unfolds from the lips of 12 year old Ethan, his mother Claire, and his Father, Mark.

Ethan is a remarkable character. One that will stay with you long after you've placed the book back on your shelf. Yes, Ethan is a genius and he can chat about Physics and Astronomy until your eyes begin to glaze over, but those details don't even begin to scrape the surface on what makes up this beautiful young boy. Ethan is magical; although he probably doesn't even believe in magic because it isn't based on scientific fact, he is truly a one of a kind character. He will make you laugh, cry and shake your head with wonder and amusement.

Claire is complex. She has been hurt and glued back together more times than she can count. She has danced, piroutetted, loved and lost until her cracks begin to show. She was a woman who had her life mapped out perfectly, only to learn that life had a different plan for her. The relationship between Ethan and Clair is one that I can barely put into words. They are on their own galaxy. It was truly a beautiful and heart-warming relationship to watch unfold.

Mark is broken. Another character that thought they had life figured out until one painful night tore everything he every knew out of his hands. Brought up by a loving mother and disapproving father, Mark was tainted. Until he met Claire. Then unfolds a blossoming, passionate love affair. One that radiates off the pages. Both strong and stubborn characters, their fierce love and fierce values radiate off the pages.

All of these characters have more connecting them then DNA, they are all whisked away in the whirlwind of a painful past. The story unfurls over the course of a few days, while Mark is back in Sydney to give a final goodbye to his dying Father. It is his Father's last wish to Mark that sets the story of on it's bumpy trail.

A character driven novel that will keep you engrossed until the very last page. An eloquently written raw and touching story about a startling secret, family, individuality and growth.