There's nothing more painful to a mother than being prevented from being actively involved in the life of the child she birthed. It's agonizing and the worst torture ever. It's one thing for a mother to not want to be involved in the life of her child but it's another thing to want to be involved even in a teeny tiny way but restrained from doing so.
This is the case of Kenna in Colleen Hoover's "Reminders of Him". I am not a mother but every pain that Kenna lived through in this novel was almost palpable. Reading her story, my heart ached whenever hers did, feeling her pain deeply. There were also moments I couldn't swallow, mirroring the dryness she must have felt. It's sad that she grew up in a home with a mother who wasn't actively involved while she was growing up and then, when she eventually gets to adulthood, and gives birth, the child is taken from her due to prejudice.
Spoilers Ahead
This story is told from the perspective of two characters Kenna and Ledger. Kenna being the mother of Diem and ex girlfriend of Scotty, who happens to be deceased, due to an unexpected car crash. Ledger happens to be Scotty's best friend whom Kenna never got to meet while Scotty was alive.
The story opens up when Kenna returns to the town in which she and Scotty grew up in a bid to find her daughter which was taken from her after birth while she was in prison.
Subsequently, it is revealed why she was thrown in prison and it's because she pleaded guilty for the murder of Scotty after her lawyer had told her to plead not guilty. His mom thought her to be an addict just because the first day she met her, she saw a cigarette in her hands which Scotty, her boyfriend, had handed her because he wanted to grab something indoors. Scotty's mother on seeing the cigarette in Kenna's hand immediately thought Kenna to be a smoker as she could beat her chest that no one in her household smoked.
The only mistake Kenna made was leaving Scotty to die after the accident they were both involved in. Scotty was bleeding and because of fear and helplessness, Kenna ran home. She thought Scotty was dead after she couldn't find pulse in his hand. The next day, the police found her in her apartment, on the floor and that was how she ended up detained. While going through her sentence in court, she found out she was pregnant and it was Scotty's.
After the birth of the child which Kenna named Diem, his parents took her away from Kenna because they thought her to be a bad blood. Even after she got out of prison, they filed a restraining order against her. They hated her so much as they claimed she wasn't remorseful about killing Scotty.
Eventually, Kenna meets Ledger and until his name was mentioned, she never knew he was Scotty's best friend. She only knew him by name and never in person.
Ledger suddenly falls head over heels in love with Kenna but when he finds out that Kenna is Diem's mom, he has to get rid of his feelings for her so as to be on the side of his best friend's parents. But his feelings for Kenna is not easy to be flushed out and empathy for her creeps in as he watches her go through pain for wanting to be involved in her daughter's life. Ledger has to choose between helping Kenna get to Diem and also helping the Landry's, which are Scotty's parents, keep Kenna away from Diem.
I know how much it hurts to lose a child but the fact that after a first meeting with Kenna, the Landry's concluded she was bad blood infuriates me. Kenna was poorly judged and wasn't given a chance to prove her innocence even though she was the one behind the wheels on the day Scotty died.
The narrative is filled with emotional turmoil and heartache as the characters face intense challenges and difficult situations. I just wanted everything to go well for Kenna. It wasn't her fault that she and Scotty had an accident. She was young and scared and wasn't in the right headspace to think of how to call for help. I feel either way, she'd have ended up in prison because from the start, it seemed Scotty's mom never liked her.
To find out if she eventually got to meet her daughter and if Ledger chose his love for Kenna over his relationship with the Landry's you should pick up this book. You'll fall in love with every page.
The language used is concise and the characters are relatable. I also enjoyed the little romantic moments between Kenna and Ledger. I wanted Kenna to at least be happy after spending years in prison for a crime she didn't commit on purpose. Although, somehow it felt like they were betraying Scotty.
I also loved that even after Scotty's death, Kenna kept writing him letters. It hurts to lose a loved one. The void in the heart never gets filled up no matter what, especially when a child is involved. The reminders are always there.
As long as it's Colleen Hoover's work, I'd love every inch of it although it breaks my fragile heart and gets my eyes glassy. I'm rating this one a 4.5/5. Very entertaining with vivid imagery.
As a mother, let me tell you this review truly does chilled my spine...
The book is indeed one to send chills down a person's spine. Thank you so much for reading. <3
For me it's like an investigation case... A horrific one, but a reminder of how easy evil can make a whole society became nuts. Let's not forget; this happened in the most rich, cultural and developed country in Europe... For some reason, we still believing craziness only occurs in places with historical poverty and that's not real. Thank you for stopping by 💜💜
Omg! I read this book a month ago and I have to say that IM OBSESSED! I loved it every single inch of it.
Your comment warms my heart. I'm delighted you're obsessed with this book as much as I am. Thank you so much. <3