I didn't feel like this book answered any questions I had about any of the characters and was quite cold and detached. What happened to Adam and Marika? why were there so few details about escaping the Nazi to the United States or a reason why she left her family? It felt lacking so much depth about a very serious part of history. Why have that be the mother's backstory if we weren't going to really understand it? It made it seem trivial which was insulting to people who lived through the era and our current political climate.

Summary: mother and son travel to see estranged grandmother at a time when the son is going through some mental trauma that he won't talk about. Mother is a counselor and can't get him to open up so she suggests he travel with her to see the grandmother, who surprisingly gets along with her grandson better than the mother does with either of the other two.

I thought it was too long; that it took a really long time to get to where it wanted to go and could have been shorter by quite a bit. None of the characters were ones I could identify with or care about. While I was glad that the grandmother was able to help her grandson let go of the anguish he was feeling over his embarrassing behavior, I thought the grandmother's actions (in the past) were never really explained or justified in any way so she gets good points and bad points, with the bad winning out.

The mother, considering that counseling was her field, appeared to need some counseling when it came to confronting her mother about these behaviors. I can't imagine how damaging these actions could be and how they would carry long term consequences for both of her children and her grandson, but to be a counselor and have not resolved those issues somewhat didn't mesh.

I don't understand why the mother and her husband had the relationship they did and why they bothered to even mention it in the story. It didn't add anything but a distraction. I guess this book was not for me.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Blue Window is the second book I've read by Suzanne Berne. Her first book, A Crime in the Neighborhood, was a prize-winning story. While I enjoyed The Blue Window, I felt that the pace was a little slow and felt a bit scattered. The story is of Lorna, her son Adam and Lorna's mother, Marika. Marika is the most stubborn type of elderly person - contrary, stubborn, tight-lipped and unaffectionate. Lorna is a psychologist who tries to understand her mother - the same mother who left her and her older brother when they were children. Lorna's son Adam is also very contrary and tight-lipped. When Marika has a fall in her remote cottage, Lorna feels responisible for her care. The story briefly touches on Marika's past during World War II and Adam's decision not to speak in full sentences. While not as compelling as her first book, The Blue Window is an intricately woven tale of a disjointed family.

This is a story about family relationships across generations. It is one of misunderstandings and communication failures. Lorna is the daughter of Marika who abandoned her when she and her brother were young. Marika has been living in a rural part of Vermont and only sees Lorna's family at Thanksgiving. She is remote and often silent. She and Lorna have never talked bout their past. Lorna's teenage son is experiencing some depression and isolation; Lorna is worried about his mental state and invites him to accompany her to Vermont to see Marika who has allegedly hurt her leg. The trip becomes pivotal in the interrelationships of all three main characters. and has them questioning their beliefs and understanding of each other.

I enjoyed the read; however, I think its message could have been conveyed more convincingly, especially at the book's ending. It disappointed me; I was expecting a stronger climax to the story. The author's writing style and use of language are appealing. And I must have missed the reference to The Blue Window because I'm not sure why the book is so titled.

This is the story of a therapist, her teenage son and her mothers. All complicated relationships with secrets. I found the style hard to read, too detached and intellectual in a way that didn't work for me.. I pushed through it but it wasn't as good as I had hoped, nor as resolved

As this story opens, Lorna, a therapist, is caught in the middle. Her son has just dropped out of college. Apparently, something happened that has caused him so much shame, he won't even talk about it. Or leave his room. Or engage in any meaningful way. To make matters worse, Lorna gets a call from her mother's neighbor, Marika. Marika has had a bad fall and needs help. Marika abandoned her family when Lorna was a little girl, and only stays in touch once a year at Thanksgiving. She's been living in a remote Vermont cabin hours away. Lorna drives up to help her, with Adam reluctantly going along to help. It's her dearest hope that the trip will help Adam heal, and that she can heal her relationship with her mother. The trip is filled with both disaster and success, making this family story a truly heartfelt one. It's realistic, too, which means no nice neat ending, but it is always uplifting. I look forward to recommending this book.

A well written and intriguing character study. Looking forward to more from this author.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61272663

I really enjoyed reading this book. The basic story was about a divorced woman who is a psychotherapist (with some issues of her own) whose son suffered a traumatic event at college and has shut down from life and won't tell her what happened. Her mother also abandoned the family when she was little for unknown reasons but has recently come back into her life. The story takes place when her mother, now elderly, needs some help and she and her son drive to Vermont to assess the situation and do what they can to help. This journey helps all of them to face their issues and begin their journey toward healing. My only complaint is that it ended too soon. I want to know what happens to them next.

Thank you to netgalley.com for the opportunity to read the ARC of The Blue Window. I found it dreary and meandering. How can we call this a book about the Nazi occupation of Holland and the devastating effects it had on Marika when the book barely touches on her time in Holland and her escape? How did she get to the US? Why did she leave her children? Marika’s past was the reason I chose to read this book, but you won’t find it here.

Lorna, Marika and Adam are so very damaged. Lorna, the therapist, tries to put everyone back together, but you can’t fix someone who doesn’t want to be fixed and Lorna knows you shouldn’t analyze your own family. It would also appear she has never worked with a therapist to address her complicated past. Adam finally reveals what has brought him home from college and finds some answers for himself.

There are too many storylines, too much conjecture and a very unsatisfying ending.

The Blue Window by Susan Berne
Lorna’s son Adam suddenly returns home from his first year of college after some traumatic incident, he refuses to talk about. Lorna, a therapist is unable to reach her son, who stopped communicating.
At the same time, Lorna receives a call that Marika, her mother had sprained her ankle and needs her. Marika left Lorna and her brother Wade, when they were children and they had no relationship with her, other than a one day yearly Thanksgiving visit. Lorna heeds the call and goes to Vermont to help Marika out and takes Adam with her. How these three people, Lorna, Adam, Marika relate to each other over the course of a few days is the subject of the book. I liked Adam’s and Marika’s interaction the most, the non communicating Adam really surprises the reader with his actions. Lorna is a troubled soul, who has a hard time forgiving her mother for leaving them. I enjoyed the book, although some questions were not answered and for me the book ended abruptly. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Blue Window is a captivating novel about characters living with traumatic memories. Lorna is the central character, with an aging mother and a son ending his first year in college. Marika abandoned Lorna and her sister when they were very young. The disappearance was always a mystery and seemed to have led Lorna into the field of psychology. Lorna is dealing with Adam, who has returned from college and refuses to talk - about anything.

The three characters wind up in a cabin on Lake Champlain. The complexity of the characters and the way they react to each situation make this story authentic life reading. Events and POV chapters made this book intriguing. I enjoyed the novel immensely.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

The Blue Window by Suzanne Berne tells the story of Lorna, her mom Marisa, her son Adam and her brother Wade. This story kept me reading to get answers about the relationships. Those questions weren’t answered. I’m not sure if this was the author’s intention. The characters were very believable and somewhat frustrating! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The novel leaves questions unanswered, but it's so very realistic. How well do we truly know anyone? What secrets do we keep? Is it intentional, or do we just find some parts of the past so unpleasant that we can't go back in time?

Lorne is a therapist struggling with her current relationship with her son. Why can she fix the relationships of others, but not with her son? While in the midst of navigating her relationship with Adam, she receives word that her mother needs assistance after a fall. She travels to help her mother, taking her morose son, Adam with her. Lorne’s relationship with her mother is fraught with drama as her mother left the family home and abandoned Lorne and her brother during their formative years. Why did her mother leave? What happened to make her leave, and before that in her life, to make her struggle so much with motherhood and being a wife? This story will follow the path that Lorne takes to try to understand her relationship with both her son and her mother. This book was an interesting read. Thank you the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

What's more enticing than a novel about family secrets? Suzanne Berne spins a taut, compelling tale about a woman desperate to solve the secrets which are tearing her loved ones apart. A rich and enticing read.

Many thanks to Scribners and to Netgalley for the opportunity and pleasure of an early read.