My Abandonment

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Average customer rating 4.6 (12 comments)

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I truly was engrossed by about 3/4 of this book. The "voice" of e 13 year old girl was intriguing and true. Peter Rocks details of life in Forest Park (the girl and her father are homeless but live in the park) and their survival techniques is reason alone to enjoy this novel. However, the last 1/4 of the book seemed to veer way off. The tone and feeling of the book changed dramatically. I still believe it's worth a read though especially for the beautiful portrayal of a father and his daughter and their survival off the grid.

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The story is very touching and holds a lot of steam through the first three quarters of the book. Toward the end, it loses a little of the magic it started with, but hangs on enough to still be a really really good read. I think natives to Portland will probably find it a little more interesting than those not fortunate to live there, but the story is strong enough to be compelling for anyone. Overall I would recommend this book without hesitation.

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Wonderfully imaginative and haunting. Living and moving around Portland, I now see this city in a new way, see people who might be "homeless" in a new way.

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I plowed through this book so quickly! Especially after reading all the local references from forest park to bend. I find it interesting how much this girl changes and adapts even though I'm still not clear if she was kidnapped or not??

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An incredible story of survival and life on the fringe of society. The journey of Caroline, the narrator and heroine, pushes us to question our urge to rescue and normalize those whom we tend to see as vulnerable and "at risk". Her voice is unwavering, likely because of the extensive research conducted by author Peter Rock and the strong sense of place that comes through in every page. My Abandonment is a unique and thought provoking book that stays with you long after you reluctantly put it down.

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I hesitated to read this book; would it be melodramatic? Another standard coming-of-age story? Finally I decided to get it from the library first and give it a try. Read on a long road trip throughout Oregon and Idaho, I am glad I did. The characters are beautifully real- not too kind or too selfish- and they dance on the fine line between "rational" and "crazy". The settings, too, are so distinct that they can be smelled and tasted, but without long descriptions that distract from the storyline. The story stuck with me and I had to buy a copy for repeat reading.

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I really enjoyed this dark take based, partially, on a true occurrence. Being from the north west originally, I liked seeing Portland, Boise, and Sisters through the character's eyes, and were happy to find they fit my own memories.

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In my mind the key to the "best book" is the one that stayed with me the longest after I've read it. This book was frustrating, confusing and annoying while being beautifully written and compelling.

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Out of all the books I've read this year, My Abandonment is the one that has stuck with me the most. It's based off of a true story, with the first half staying relatively true to fact. I found it fascinating to read what Peter Rock imagined happened after there was no longer any news stories to fill in the rest of the pieces. He managed to create a perfect combination of tragedy and triumph to leave me feeling content with his version of the story, which is perfect, since it does not seem likely that we will ever know how the story ends in real life.

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I was amazed at how well the male author could write from the perspective of a young adolescent girl. It was such a beautiful story, and a real tear jerker. I read it way into the night to finish it, and it was worth the sleep deprivation.

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Surfacely, Peter Rock's "My Abadonment" fictionalizes the(in)famous "recovery" of a young teen and her Father from their Portland forestpark habitat. But my gods, if it isn't more than that. I'm talking about what it means to know place, to allow place to form and inform you, what place means when most vestiges of civilized normalcy are perveted, expunged, or altogether missing. How do you grapple with your world, how does the reader grapple with this world, when the cues we usually look to are no longer there? This book takes the habit of reading from under you and forces, entreats, coerces you to examine the contents of your habit & habitate. Written from the point of view of a thirteen year old girl, Rock has created a voice that is the very definition of strong, of depth, of honesty. (Speaking of definition, an obsession of definition pervades the book. Ideal for word nerds and lovers of language a like). It's a modern day bildungsroman. It's a bildungsroman in the face of a society hell-bent on not having any bildungsroman. This is just to say, "My Abandoment" punched a hole in my face. Two thumbs up.

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Author Peter Rock did his research for this novel based on a true story of a man and his daughter living in Forest Park in Portland, OR. While he couldn't know the moments they lived, you feel as if he does, as you make Caroline's stealthy way through the days and unseen paths of her hidden world. A suspenseful and empathic journey.