Review:Safe with Me by Amy Hatvany

A novel about two mothers and one daughter who are linked by tragedy and bound by secrets, from the acclaimed author of Heart Like Mine. Now, in the provocative Safe with Me, Amy Hatvany explores controversial and timely issues with astonishing emotional complexity.

The screech of tires brought Hannah Scott’s world as she knew it to a devastating end. Even a year after she signed the papers to donate her daughter’s organs, Hannah is still reeling with grief when she unexpectedly stumbles into the life of the Bell family, whose child, Maddie, survived only because hers had died. Mesmerized by this fragile connection to her own daughter and afraid to reveal who she actually is, Hannah develops a surprising friendship with Maddie’s mother, Olivia.

The Bells, however, have problems of their own. Once on the verge of leaving her wealthy but abusive husband, Olivia now finds herself bound to him as never before in the wake of the successful transplant that saved their fifteen-year-old daughter’s life. Meanwhile Maddie, tired of the limits her poor health puts upon her and fearful of her father’s increasing rage, regularly escapes into the one place where she can be anyone she wants: the Internet. But when she is finally healthy enough to return to school, the real world proves to be just as complicated as the isolated bubble she had been so eager to escape.

A masterful narrative, shaped by nuanced characters whose fragile bonds are on a collision course with the truth, Safe with Me is a triumph.

Amy Hatvany was born in Seattle, WA in 1972, the youngest of three children. She graduated from Western Washington University in 1994 with a degree in Sociology only to discover most sociologists are unemployed. Soon followed a variety of jobs – some of which she loved, like decorating wedding cakes; others which she merely tolerated, like receptionist. In 1998, Amy finally decided to sell her car, quit her job, and take a chance on writing books. 

The literary gods took kindly to her aspirations and THE KIND OF LOVE THAT SAVES YOU was published in 2000 by Bantam Doubleday. THE LANGUAGE OF SISTERS was picked up by NAL in 2002. (Both titles published under "Yurk.")

Amy spends most of her time today with her second and final husband, Stephan.

"She wanted to warn them, to tell them how quickly everything can change, but she knew it was useless.  There's simply no telling whose life will be touched by tragedy.  There is only a before and an after, with no way to predict the moment when one is over and the other begins (Safe with Me, pg 46)."

What would you do if you were faced with the loss of a child and then the possibility to save many others due to this loss?  Would you be able to let your child live on inside others? What happens when your path crosses with one of the people your child saved?  Answer:  Your world is turned upside down and changed in ways you never imagined!  This is a book filled with tragedy, loss and emotions.  And also healing, second changes and unexpected friendships.  "Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone who doesn't have preconceived notions of who you are, no expectations based on past behavior, no running commentary on the choices you've made in your life (Safe with Me, pg 225)." Safe with Me is complex, raw and real.  I was so completely drawn into the pages of this novel.  Safe with Me will cause you to think and to be grateful for everyday you have with your loved ones.  You will feel emotionally connected from page one and be held tight to the very last page.  4.5 stars