Book Review: My Name is Anton by Catherine Ryan Hyde

 

Book: My Name is Anton

No. of pages: 364

Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Genre: Love Story/Drama

Price: ₹ 129 (Kindle copy on Amazon)

'I love you so much it scares me sometimes. I’ll think how much I love you and for a minute it’s hard to breathe.'

'Welcome to my side of the fence,' he said.

My Name is Anton by Catherine Ryan Hyde is about Anton, of course, and Edith. And the agonies they're bound to carry, and the joy they're fortunate enough to embrace. And the moments they missed.

'It was December 10, an odd day to celebrate the Christmas holiday. It was not even quite six in the morning, and Anton “Anthony” Addison-Rice was fast asleep and dreaming about his right hand.'

It's the opening line of this book.  Intriguing, isn't it? And then we get to know why he was dreaming of his right hand. Because he has lost his right hand in a terrible, dreadful incident. (It's not a spoiler). 

His parents leave him alone for Christmas holidays, with a telescope as a gift. And then, he saw something in a window. Accidentally. A woman. 

The woman - Edith, 15 years older to him, is in an abusive marrige, and Antony has witnessed it.

They meet, connect and a beautiful bond burgeons. He has deeply fallen in love but, to keep her safe, he had to let her go. 

What if they meet again?

'Love is when you can make the following statement, and mean it: "What’s best for her, even if it doesn’t include me."’

This story is also about a dysfunctional family and complicated relationships, that has been told with so much ease. The storytelling, the character development, the development of emotional bond, everything is so effortless.

And the credit goes to the writing. I love the writing style. It's beautiful and engaging. The author has made every scene, every conversation so meaningful, interesting and heartwarming.

'But it was how she closed the door that Anthony would always remember. She didn’t slam it. Almost the opposite. She eased the door latched with a deliberate caution, a gentleness. As if the door were installed directly into Anthony’s chest or gut, and she might hurt him if she mishandled it. And it mattered a great deal to Anthony, because she did have the power to hurt him, though as yet he had no idea why.'

The characters Anton and Edith seem very real and I instantly felt a connection. Loved their conversation. So, basically the dialogues are very interesting. So interesting and engaging that I was actually looking forward to what they would say next. 

There are several beautiful, touching scenes. I would especially like to mention two scenes. One, when they are watching the moon, at Anton's terrace. And the platform scene. 

The secondary characters are also very significant, especially Anton's grandma and great uncle are very endearing. I felt so glad that they were in Anton's life.

Apart from being interesting, engrossing and endearing, it's also progressive in so many ways (even though it's mostly set in 1965-1981). Conveys several messages in a subtle way, so subtle that you don't even realize it's a message. 

My Name is Anton is a pure, poignant, unique and heartwarming love story. Too good to be true, maybe, but I absolutely don't mind! One of my favourite reads this year. And I'd definitely want to read more from the author.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the review copy.