Review: You Are My Only by Beth Kephart

Title: You Are My Only    

Author: Beth Kephart site

Publisher: Egmont USA

Release/Published: 10/25/2011

Format: Ebook

Source: NetGalley

It book is definitely very unique. You Are My Only is written from the perspective of two people.

Sophie is homeschooled and moves around a lot. Her mother is very strict and doesn’t want her out of the house. However, Sophie begins to break the rules. She leaves their house and meets the boy next door, Joey. As Joey and Sophie become friends, Sophie begins to see how strange her life really is. Not being able to go outside, her mother wanting her to be perfect, them moving around all the time. At home the only books she’s allowed to read are books on advanced subjects like Archimedean solids. But at Joey’s house, thing are so different. Joey’s aunts are so loving. They read Willa Cather and bake cookies; Sophie’s even encouraged to think creatively. Why are Sophie and her mother running? What is her mother hiding?

Emmy is a new mother that has just discovered her baby’s missing, taken in broad daylight from her front lawn. All that’s left of her is one yellow sock. The police haven’t had any luck and her abusive husband, Peter, is furious. Emmy goes off on her own to look for Baby. She meets a nice man named Arlen whom saves her life and helps her look for Baby.  However, the police find this behavior very suspicious and consider her a suspect. After a mental breakdown, a judge deems Emmy incompetent to stand trial. She is then sent to a mental institution. How will she find Baby now?

You are My Only’s rhythmic and poetic style was kind of confusing at first. It was hard to follow in the beginning. But I kept on, and I’m glad I did! After my brain got used to the writing style, I couldn’t put it down. The plot paired with the unique prose writing makes this book both simple and eloquent. Even though I guessed what the connection was between Emmy and Sophie, I liked that that’s one of the big mysteries of the book. If you find it kind of obvious, not to worry: there are other surprises. I wish it was slightly longer though. But overall, I’d give this book 3.5/5 stars. It’s definitely worth reading.