'Orphans of Race Point' Explores the Outer Limits of Friendship

The Orphans of Race Point by Patry Francis
Published by Harper Perennial on May 6, 2014
Genres/Lists: #30Authors, Fiction
Pages: 524
Read synopsis on Goodreads
Buy the book: Amazon/Audible (this post includes affiliate links)

Oh, how I loved this book! When I first requested it, I didn’t realize how long it was so when it came in the mail I was nervous about reading a 500+ page book by an author I had never read before. Not only was the book sensational, but I am definitely going to pick up up one of her other works in the near future.

The Orphans of Race Point by Patry Francis follows the lives of Hallie and Gus, who became friends after a violent act left Gus an orphan. Their friendship did not take the traditional route (they didn’t meet on the playground), but from the beginning it’s evident that there are deeper ties that bind the two together than one would expect from two nine-year olds. As their friendship blossoms into something more in high school, another violent act leaves their lives shattered and their futures uncertain. As the two head in opposite directions in life, a third and final violent act brings their zig-zagging lives back together. Only this time, Gus is in prison and Hallie has to decide whether Gus is the man the law says he is or the man she thinks he is.

: Author Site Twitter

Told over the course of three decades, The Orphans of Race Point explores the outer limits of friendships and the ties that bind. Each character is rich, flawed, and absolutely perfect. At no point during this book did I feel that the author could have done more or less, for each word and action was carefully crafted to catapult the reader toward a shocking end. Beyond the lives of Gus and Hallie, Francis uses secondary characters and a seaside backdrop to tell a story so stunning it will leave you staggering with emotion. With a story that transcends time, The Orphans of Race Point is the perfect book to cozy up.

P.S. – It’d make a great Book Club pick, too! (I actually learned after I posted this review that there is, indeed, a reading guide for the book. You can grab it here).