Absolutely wonderful, easily best book of the year already.

Noah, 79 year old retired professor, is about to take a trip to Nice in France where he was born when he is charged with the care of his sister's 11 year old grandson Michael. This seems to be the set up for a predictable 'they don't like each other at the start, but are best mates at the end', but this novel is so much more.

Emma Donoghue carefully examines their similarities and differences. Both characters are alone, where all their relatives are either dead or in prison, yet they are related and bond over Noah's quest to find out more about his mother's past in Nice. Young, energetic Michael connects to Noah by learning about his past and using technology to help him discover the story of the French resistance in WWII. Noah tries to get Michael interested spouting historical fun facts and doing chemistry tricks. Noah makes an effort to keep Michael in touch with his locked-up mother, but also struggles to set boundaries torn between insisting on manners and healthy diet, and respecting Michael's recent loss and deplorable situation.

Upper class Noah and Michael from the slums both have to get over their assumptions and prejudices and are forced to reevaluate and adapt. In this process Donoghue uses the history of Noah's mother both as an illustration and as a binding agent. While they work together discovering the story piece by piece, the conclusion swings between her being a resistance hero and a Nazi collaborator.
I also liked how language was used as an illustration to the fact that we tend to see things only from our own perspective. Noah as an intellectual has a vast vocabulary of which Michael only shares a small portion, leading him to conclude that Michael has a small vocabulary. Donogue makes is clear throughout the book that the smaller collection of words they share is not Michael's entire word-stock, but just the overlap in the Venn-diagram of their words. There is a whole treasure of street slang Noah is unaware of.

In short: I loved it, I loved the characterisations and I loved how she didn't spin Noah's mom's backstory as a sentimental sob-fest, but used it very clever as an illustration of Noah and Michaels getting to know each other.

Emma Donoghue wrote one of my favourite books ever; "Room". So I was delighted to read another one of her books.

The hero of the book is Noah. He is a retired teacher, and has decided to travel to France for the first time in his life to visit his childhood home. But before he leaves, he somehow ends up caring for his estranged great nephew, Michael Michael is from a very different part of town to Noah, and they have nothing in common. Even though Noah was a teacher, he finds it difficult to connect with the boy, and must find a way not only to look after Michael, but travel into his past at the same time. Unfortunately the two don't seem to easily go together!

Emma Donoghue is such a beautiful writer. Her thoughtfulness and the way she describes things so delicately is just fantastic. She has a way of being able to paint a picture, not only of a place, a scene, but also of how the characters are feeling and the emotions that charge the story. All of her characters just come to life as real people with real life issues, and this is integral to the story in "Akin".

I really loved this book. Emma Donoghue has done it again for me, I just can't fault her. This book is so emotionally involved and character driven, but it is also entertaining and has a whole range of feels. Top marks from me.

This was an enjoyable book but the mystery elements lacked suspense or tension.

The burgeoning relationship between Noah and Michael is warm and funny, with the old man and young boy from different paths learning from each other by the end.

However, the mystery about Noah's mother felt a bit plodding and was revealed too slowly without much intrigue.

Akin by Emma Donoghue is a lovely book, so well written and telling of an adventure to Nice in France from Manhattan in USA. The main characters are Noah and his, previously unknown great nephew, Michael. I loved the dialogue between the two and how they each learned from the other.

If it’s a fast paced thriller you want to read, this isn’t for you but I loved the slow pace and descriptive style.

This book covers it all: loss, love, family, hurt, suspense, fear, psychological twists and turns...it will keep you hooked throughout!

I enjoyed the setting but I didn't find the main two characters particularly interesting and I struggled to believe in their relationship. I enjoyed her previous work but this one wasn't for me.

This brought tears to my eyes! What a wonderful story of redemption, of people lost and found. I couldn’t put the book down. Emma Donaghue is a talented and diverse author. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

A heart-warming story about family ties and finding yourself through your past

79-year old retired professor Noah Selvaggio has been planning his first trip to Nice since he left France as a child, with the aim of uncovering the stories behind some mysterious photographs taken by his mother. Days before he is due to leave, he discovers that he is the only living relative of a great-nephew he has never met, who needs looking after. Out of obligation to his beloved deceased sister, Noah agrees to take 11-year old Michael with him on his travels. Whilst the two of them are worlds apart in personality and interests, over the course of their trip they discover the things they have in common and Michael eventually even begins to help his great-uncle look into his mother’s secretive past.

I must admit, I didn’t realise until I went to write this review that the author was the writer of Room, which is an excellent book. Whilst Akin is not quite at the same level in terms of story memorability or plot, it is similar in its warmth and its charming portrayal of youth and the differences between adults and children. I really enjoyed reading Noah and Michael’s relationship. A lot of authors struggle to write ‘real’ children, but Michael was snarky, rude and irritating in the way only eleven-year-old boys can be, and I loved him for it. Noah was also a great character, toeing the line between a caring parental figure and a cantankerous old man perfectly. The setting of Nice was extremely atmospheric and well written and felt seeped in history.

Unfortunately, the storyline wasn’t as exciting or as gripping as it could have been and at times it did feel a little slow-paced. I found Noah jumped to conclusions a lot about the things he found out about his mother, when the reality was pretty obviously different and seemed hinted at in the writing, meaning his surprise when things weren’t what they had seemed didn’t ring true.

Overall, whilst not as ground-breaking as the author’s most famous novel, Akin is a readable story about family bonds and also a witty observation on the generation gap. I really enjoy this author’s writing and will certainly lookout for more of her books in the future.

Daenerys

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

I thought this was a great read; touching, funny and moving. You couldn't get two contrastingly different characters, but it was great to witness their relationship grow despite their generation gap. Near to the end I began to wonder who was helping who

"Weren't all of us bridges for each other, one way or another?"

I didn't really relate to this story of an elderly man taking over5 the care of an 11year old great nephew as he is the only available relative. I didn't like Michael at all.

A beautiful portrayal of a forced relationship between an old, childless man and a young boy whose Mother is in prison and his father is dead. The two spend an intense week together in Nice as Noah revisits scenes from his childhood and ties to uncover the mystery of what his mother was doing for 2 years during the war after sending him and his father to England. Michael, his nephew's son, is street-wise, difficult but very intelligent and observant and he provides enormous help to Noah in unraveling the mystery. The development of the relationship between Great Uncle and great nephew is wonderful, every page is finely crafted, and both of them grow, learn about themselves and their family and ultimately accept each other for what they are.

This is a slow paced family story about 79:year old retired Professor Noah who goes on a pilgrimage from New York to the city of his birth, Nice in the south of France. He hasn’t been there since he was a young child having left during World War 2 to escape the Nazis.
He intends to research his family and find out what his late mother did during the war. However just before his departure he is asked to look after his 11 year old great nephew Michael, whom he has never met. His father is dead and his mother is in prison. The child has no one and will ultimately be be sent to a children’s home if Noah cannot help.
After much soul searching, Noah decides to take the child with him on his trip
This turns out to be the perfect opportunity for this odd couple to slowly get to know each other although there are many hiccups along the way.
This is a poignant and ultimately heart warming tale about two lonely people who gradually become friends as the novel progresses. Noah is a lovely character, gruff to start with but he grows into his position as sole carer even though he has never had his own children.
Michael has spent a lot of time with his elderly grandmother who has sadly died so he has experience of an older carer. However Noah is very different type of person ! He is also grieving for his Father and Grandmother so he can be quite difficult. However they are ultimately related or “Akin” so they manage to find interests in common and this is at the heart of the novel.
Indeed the theme of this book appears to be family relationships. Noah’s with his late mother including a mystery which is eventually solved and Michael’s with Noah.
This is an enjoyable read which held my attention from the very beginning.
I loved the growing relationship between Michael and Noah and how neither gives up despite the awkwardness in the beginning.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Noah is 79 years old and trying to figure out what to do with his retirement now his wife, and his sister have both passed away when, unexpectedly, he receives a call to look after his great-nephew who has ended up in the care of a social worker. Noah takes on Michael for a week which means he needs to take the young boy to France with him, as Noah travels to his birthplace to find out more about his mother.

This was a really lovely book with a lovely friendship that blossoms between Noah and Michael, as well as some looks into the past and the history of Noah's family during WW2. This isn't a book full of rainbows and flowers as Michael, while loved, hasn't had things easy either and he has lots of opinions to share with Noah - normally full of cuss words. This book reminded me of an adult version of Up, but it was just as heartwarming.

I found myself rooting for the pair and I really wanted them to find happiness together while also a bit afraid because is, to be frank, fairly old. I enjoyed the bits of history in this book, and Emma Donoghue definitely had to put a lot of work and research into this story and you can really tell, and I appreciated it.

Emma Donghue always writes such interesting, different, books and as a reader, she keeps me on my toes and I don't know what to expect from her which I love.

Akin completely surprised me – I was expecting something different – perhaps because her other books read quite differently. However, I’ve come to realise that one of the beauties of Emma Donoghue’s books is the fact that they are different, in style and of course plot and setting.

This story takes place (at first) in New York, when 79 years-young Noah gets an unexpected call – his great nephew Michael has no one to take care of him, and as he’s only 11 years old Noah feels strong-armed into looking after him – and taking him on his trip of a lifetime to Nice, to track down what happened to his mother during the war and to celebrate his 80th birthday. What ensues is comical, poignant and at times quite sad. The two very different characters struggle to reconcile their differences whilst Noah learns about life as an 11 year old from a very different background to himself. There are plenty of sweet moment, and humorous situations to entertain – some parts really made me smile!

There’s also some historical context to the novel as the book – in having Nice as it’s backdrop for a large portion – offers up some interesting information about a different area of the world and a different timeframe due to Noah and Michael’s investigations! It’s not a fast-paced, action-packed read but it moves along at just the right pace to combine character development with entertainment. It’s such an enjoyable read and it manages to be really sweet without being cloying or over the top, so I’d really recommend this novel.

I enjoyed this multi generational book and praise Emma Donoghue for her sensitivity in the portrayal of the relationship between an octogenarian and a young boy. It so easily could have been a pastiche and descended into sugary schmaltz but it never did. I liked the fact that real life isn’t always neatly tied up with a bow and that sometimes people have to make assumptions about the past when there’s no one left to ask. A well deserved four stars

An unusual and well written novel. I devoured it wanting to know what happened, I still want to know what happens next and would love the story of the pedantic old man and his rebellious great nephew to continue. It’s a marvellous combination of the present and a very intriguing past. I highly recommend reading this excellent book.

Noah has been planning his trip to Nice for a while. Leaving there as a child he wants to visit the graves of his parents, a renowned photographer and his wife. However a call from Social Services throws his plans awry. his Great Nephew Michael will be placed into care if Noah does not take him in. So begins a trip to face family secrets and get to know themselves.
The only Donoghue book I had read before is Room and I hated it so I approached this with a certain degree of cynicism. How wrong I was! Akin is on the surface a multi-generational 'odd couple' road trip which works brilliantly with a sly sense of humour pervading the action. However there is something deeper, Noah is scared of the possibility that his mother was an informer in occupied Nice and having to reassess his opinion, therefore the approach to this subplot is much more sophisticated and rewarding.

Noah is retired, widowed and about to embark on the trip of a lifetime, to visit Nice, which he fled as child during World War 2. That is, until, he is suddenly landed with a grand nephew he has never met who has nowhere else to go. This could have been a stretch as a premise, but what Donoghue does really well is show just how ridiculous and dangerous the legal system in America is for young and vulnerable people. The social worker seems genuinely exhausted and her letting a child, Michael, go to a foreign country with a stranger just because they are related, rather than letting him get lost in the fostering system when his mother is incarcerated, is telling and heartbreaking. The interactions between the thoughtful and grieving Noah and the superficially swaggering but deeply troubled Michael are funny and heartwarming, I just didn't connect to the central mystery of who Noah's mother was and working for.

I received a copy of this book from Pan Macmillan via Netgalley in exchange for an Honest review. I have read several Emma Donoghue books with differing feelings.

For me this one just feels to reach the point where the developing storyline gathers your interest and the character become people you can love or hate. I didn't feel any connection or desire to really read on. I reached the end but more because i hate to give up than i was wanting to get there.

Noah and Michael are flawed characters their relationship seems to continue without any real attempt on either side to make it work. The typical response of the adult was to let it slide and of the child to push the boundaries. For me it just failed to work

I was a little disappointed in this much anticipated book having, of course, loved Room and expecting a similarly moving, emotional reading experience. I found the two main protagonists, Noah the outwardly curmudgeonly but warm-hearted nearly 80 year old, and Michael, his 11 year old potty-mouthed displaced great-nephew, almost caricatures and rather difficult to believe in. However, the descriptive writing is a delight even though the story did not capture my attention in the way I had expected.