Little Pieces of Me

 

Following her acclaimed debut novel, You and Me and Us, Alison Hammer dives headfirst into a deeply moving story of family and identity, full of unforgettable characters across two timelines with both Jewish and LGBTQ representation. When a DNA test reveals a long-buried secret, a woman must look to the past to understand her mother and herself. A perfect read for fans of Inheritance by Dani Shapiro and those who binged This is Us and A Million Little Things. Alison’s story comes at a pivotal time as DNA Testing kits like Ancestry.com and 23andMe are increasing in popularity, revealing generations-old secrets. 

Inspired by one of these real-life stories, LITTLE PIECES OF ME asks a question that has become increasingly more common: are we more than just our DNA? In LITTLE PIECES OF ME, Paige Meyer’s life and identity are shaken up when she receives an email from FamilyTree.com notifying her that “congratulations! We’ve added a new leaf to your family tree, a parent-child match.” As she examines the email closer, she realizes the results show her father is a man she never met—not the man she grew up with and idolized. 

She’s convinced there must be a mistake, but as she digs deeper into her mother’s past and her own feelings of being the odd child out growing up, Paige begins to question everything she thought she knew. Could this be why Paige never felt like she fit in her family, and why her mother always seemed to keep her at an arm’s length? And what does it mean for Paige’s memories of her father, a man whose death she is still grieving? 

Back in 1974, Betsy Kaplan, Paige’s mom, was a straightlaced sophomore at the University of Kansas. When her sweet but boring boyfriend disappoints her, Betsy decides she wants more out of life, and is tired of playing it safe. Enter Andy Abrams, the golden boy on campus with a potentially devastating secret. After their night together has unexpected consequences, Betsy is determined to bury the truth and rebuild a stable life for her unborn child, whatever the cost. When Paige can’t get answers from her mother, she goes looking for the only other person who was there that night. The more she learns about what happened, the more she sees her unflappable, distant mother as a real person faced with an impossible choice. But will it be enough to mend their broken relationship? 

Told in dual timelines, LITTLE PIECES OF ME examines identity and how the way we define ourselves changes through our life experiences. 

My Review

I loved You, Me and Us by Alison Hammer. I love it so much that when other readers are looking for recommendations that this is one of the books I always recommend. I have heard from several that did pick up this book and they loved it just as much. Therefore, when I heard that the author was coming out with a new book, I knew I had to read it. 

While, I was not in "love" with this book, I still really enjoyed it a lot. I could kind of relate to what Paige was going through when she learned the truth that her mother has been hiding all these years. I say this because I was adopted. I knew I was adopted but I don't know anything about my biological parents. Paige is luckily that she has her fiancé Jeff, and good friends Margaux, and Max to help support her on her journey. 

This book is laid out in duo storylines with the present...Paige and the past...Betsy. It is in the past that the readers learn the truth about Betsy and the two men in her life. Mark and Andy. The switch back and forth between the two storylines was seamless. I enjoyed both voices of Paige and Betsy. There is this one line towards the end of the story that I liked..."Happy to be just your Andy".  

Looking forward to reading the next book from this author. Little Pieces of Me is filled with engaging characters and just as an engaging story of family, love, past, present, and the future. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Founder of the Every Damn Day Writers online group, Alison Hammer has been spinning words to tell stories since she learned how to talk. A graduate of the University of Florida and the Creative Circus in Atlanta, she lived in nine cities before settling down in Chicago, where she works as a VP creative director at an advertising agency.

Learn more at www.alisonhammer.com or follow Alison on social media: Instagram: @ThisHammer  Twitter: @ThisHammer