The Same Sky is the story of two people trying to make sense of their lives in what appears to be a parallel universe. Alice and her husband are successful restaurant owners trying to reconcile their inability to have a child and the heart breaking ups and downs of failed
…more attempts to adopt that have left them emotionally drained. Carla, a young Honduran, is longing for her mother to return from El Norte and help take care of her little brother. When it becomes too dangerous for them to stay in their home by the dump, Carla begins the journey to be reunited with her mother.
Alternating chapter by chapter Ward's depictions of both lives is captivating. Alice and her husband operate a successful BBQ restaurant in Austin yet the need to have a child is creating an emotional roller coaster for them both. Their attempts to adopt have been unsuccessful, the last one especially heart breaking. Enough so they unwittingly take on a foster child, again with fairly disastrous results. Though their relationship starts strong all the emotional upheaval around trying to become parents begins to take its toll.
In Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Carla's mother left her with her grandmother and headed north hoping to find a way to provide for the family from afar. When grandmother dies Carla is left to fend for herself and her little brother. Although she is fairly content in her home by the dump, she sees her little brother descend into another world as he sniffs glue to stave off hunger. Recognizing that no one she knows has returned from that world she decides to take him El Norte, find their mother and become a family again.
The Same Sky's plot is reminiscent of T.C. Boyle's Tortilla Curtain. I found Ward's prose succinct and easily read. The short chapters, alternating voices and stories kept the pace rapid. Ward waits until the last few pages to reveal her intent, which made reading that much more enjoyable. The Same Sky is a reminder that however we are different in circumstances and environment we are all under the "same sky". Highly recommended, especially for Book Clubs. (less)
