From the first pages, Reconstructing Amelia was amazing. The book opens with a glimpse into the life of a high school student named Amelia, then quickly turns to the perspective of Amelia’s lawyer mother, Kate. Kate had Amelia while in law school, but didn’t let a baby slow her down. Although she fiercely loves her daughter, Kate’s also dedicated to her job which she will come to regret after Amelia’s apparent suicide. Kate grieves hard, but then finds something new to dedicate herself to when she receives a text stating that Amelia didn’t jump. Kate learns that Amelia’s death was barely investigated and there was plenty going on in Amelia’s life that Kate was clueless about.
Although Amelia dies almost as soon as the book starts, Kimberly McCreight alternates between Kate’s present-day narration and the final days of Amelia’s life as told from her perspective. There are also a few flashbacks to when Kate got pregnant for good measure. It was wrenching to learn everything that happened to Amelia and all that she kept from her mother. When it all unfolded, I was stunned by the entire truth of these characters.
5/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, HarperCollins.
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Excellent read - couldn't put it down! The complex relationship between being a good worker and a good mother along with the hard reality of being a teenager in our electronic world. Fast-paced and lots of twists.
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