I reviewed Forever Lily by Beth Nonte Russell on my adoption blog over a year ago and while going through my archives recently I realized that I never posted about it here on my book blog. As most of you already know, my youngest daughter Maya was adopted from China last year. I figured that since some of my book blog readers are cross-overs from my adoption blogging days (which is few and far between now) I would post about it here.
March 2007: I came upon Forever Lily at the bookstore just a few short days ago and was immediately drawn to the cover art. Forever Lily is a true story, based on Nonte Russell’s own experience, and is tagged as her “unexpected journey into adoption.” The author became a travel companion for a friend adopting from China. Her friend, Alex, did not bond with the baby and decided (while still in China) that she no longer wanted to bring the baby home.
What I initially thought might be an interesting and thought provoking look into the inner-workings and emotions of international adoption, turned out to be a poorly written and somewhat contrived book.
The book is filled with dream sequences and meditative hallucinations that the author says she had throughout her travels in China. Whether or not she had these vivid dreams, or her “inner visions” as she calls them, seems beside the point of the story. These dreams, while an obvious attempt for the author to link herself to her Chinese daughter, not only distracted from the story but became ridiculous. Filled with Chinese symbolism (monks, concubines, empresses, dragons) and even the Virgin Mary, her visions made me think I was reading an Amy Tan novel.
I was touched by the author’s description of an orphanage and was glad that the book could give me some insight into the poor conditions that these children live in. Having said that, I was less impressed by the portrayal of Alex, the women who decided not to take the baby. I really would have like to have known, from a psychological perspective, why this woman immediately rejected this baby.
It is no great secret that the author was able to legally adopt the baby a few months after coming back from China. The love and bonding that Nonte Russell obviously feels for Lily is touching. She rearranged her entire childless life (her step-daughter was already in college) in order to bring this baby home. I only wish that the book itself was a little more informative and less wishy-washy.
For a much more in-depth and interesting look at China adoptions, check out The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans. For a completely different review of this book, check out The Insatiable Reader.
