VBT# The How and the Why - Cynthia Hand

Review: The How and the Why - Cynthia Hand - November 2019

As soon as I saw the synopsis for this book, I knew I wanted to read it as I have always been fascinated with adoption stories and the desire to meet your birth parents. I think it has stemmed from the fact that my dad never knew his birth father and also I have an older half- brother who was adopted out five and half years before I was born. I have met him a few times but we aren't close. In The How and the Why, you could also see the author's "realness' shine through as she was also adopted. The How and Why starts off with one of our main characters - a 16 yr old pregnant girl "S" who is in a home for unwed mothers and they are writing as a project- letters to their future babies - at first "S" doesn't want to write as she is giving up the baby but as the book goes along, we see her getting into the groove of it and writing her unborn child letters. The second storyline jumps 18 years into the future where we meet Cassandra aka Cass who was the baby of "S" and adopted out. Her adopted mother is sick and now that she is 18 years old and ready for college, she has this desire to know about her birth parents and the why. Cass's best friend is also adopted from Libya and we learn a little about her adoption too. I had hoped that this book's ending would have had maybe an extra chapter as it felt like it had just gotten to the most exciting part and then wham bam it's over. The ending of this book reminded me of C.C Hunter's In Another Life as like in The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand - I felt a bit cheated at the ending as it's like the book had a major lead-up and then "poof" it's over and very anti-climatic. If you are wanting a story that focuses on the lead-up to the adoption but not much for the after-adoption life, then you will enjoy The How and the Why. But if you are in it, for the latter - don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed like I was slight.