This is a deeply emotional read.
This book centres on many difficult subjects including suicide and domestic abuse.
This book has a compelling narrative.

This is another warm, well crafted novel from Catherine Ryan Hyde. She really does write superb character driven tales where the characters are not only well developed but flawed in very real and human ways. Somehow she manages to touch on so many issues in this novel - domestic abuse, mental illness, suicide, disability, adoption and child protection. However, an overarching theme of love and selflessness makes this a positive tale of what it means to really love someone and belong to a family.

When we first meet Anton (who is going by the name of Anthony) at the age of 18, he has in the last seven months lost his beloved grandfather Anton, as well as his right hand when he tried and failed to prevent his brother shooting himself. On top of that, his self absorbed parents, who seem to lack any empathy at all for what he has been suffering, have left him on his own for the Christmas holidays. It's at this point in his life that he meets Edith, a married woman in her thirties. His kindness to her at a time when she most needs it, changes both of them and has repercussions down the years.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has created a very special character in Anton. Not many people are as considerate and selfless as him, especially as a young man, but he feels very real and seems to possess an inner strength that drives him. His grandmother and uncle are also wonderful characters who save him from being destroyed by the neglect of his parents. Both romantic and suspenseful, and at times bittersweet, I had no idea where this novel would end up but it all made for a wonderful read.

I know I can always count on Catherine Ryan Hyde for a great read. She has a way of making a story so complex where you feel a full heart but then your heart breaks and then you're happy again - she's got a great way of making you feel the feelings of all the characters and situations you're involved in.

It felt like I was *supposed* to feel something the entire time, and yet I never really got the chance to connect with any of the characters. I think I'm in the unpopular corner of the room here though-- maybe it's a me issue?

This is a very emotional journey the pages. The characters are well developed and the depth of strength and integrity displayed by so many of them is touching. The book covers a period of 55 years, so you are given plenty of time to see how the relationships develop. There are a lot of sensitive matters presented … suicide, alcoholism, domestic abuse, mental illness. While Anton is an amazing and responsible young man, his parents are the ultimate in selfishness and concerned with themselves and how people view them. There are so many dynamics explored that will hold your attention. Kudos to Anton’s grandmother, Marion, and his uncle, Gregor. They are such a strong influence in his life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Great book. Highly recommend and will most defiantly read more by this author and suggest to others!

When I think of literary fiction, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and can satisfies just about every reader's heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day.

My Name is Anton by Catherine Ryan Hyde is a fictional story set in 1965 that explores the themes of friendship, true love, and the sacrifices it entails.

The book started as a 4-star read (maybe even 4.5-star) but by the time it ended I settled on a mediocre 3-star rating. A negative start is turned into a very promising and an unusually happy ending for the protagonist, and that highly fictional turn of fate does not sit right with me. Real life does not change so drastically for the better, and the fiction we read should not be so far away from reality - it should be inspired from it instead.

I loved the writing style. The book defines true love in a way that is easy to understand and justifies the emotion and its much deserved purity. There are quite a few lovely quotes in the prose.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Verdict: Should be read one time.

Catherine Ryan Hyde does it again! Another incredible book by CRH. Anton and Edith are wonderful characters. The plot pulls you along. I couldn’t put the book down. I highly recommend this book.

3★
“‘They said you had no physical injuries and no sign of a concussion. So then what happened, Anton? Can you tell me what happened?’

Anton lay quietly for a moment, wondering why he had no memory of people talking to him. Then he said, ‘I think I broke.’”

It’s not surprising that he broke. What is surprising is that he didn’t break earlier. In fact, I’d say it’s unrealistic. Anton is an 18-year old boy who’s suffered a terrible tragedy just this year. But for some reason, when his parents asked if he’s okay, he said yes. And they believed him? Or pretended to?

His mother is now trying to wake him up early to have a very rushed “early Christmas” while there is a taxi waiting to take her and his father to the airport to fly to South America for a few weeks. He’s sleepy and doesn’t want to get up just to see them go and leave him home alone.

“She had a taut look of disapproval on her face, as if she preferred he ignore the situation. Well, she did prefer that. He knew it from experience. Ignoring situations was her number one life skill.“

There’s the reason he said yes, he’s okay. He’s an 18-year-old kid who is not likely to be confiding in a mother like that. Both she and his father are uninteresting caricatures of cold-hearted parents. They take off and leave him home alone with his brand new telescope for Christmas. At least there’s that.

He sets it up on the balcony of their apartment, and as he’s trying to balance it, it lowers down and is focused on a window across the street. Cue the music for Rear Window!

Of course, he spots a lovely young woman being treated violently by a man, presumably her husband or partner. He feels he’s intruding, but like anyone, he can’t help wanting to keep an eye on things.

“He wanted to position his telescope to look through her window. Simply to see her. To watch her performing the simplest daily tasks. To rememorize her long, straight nose and wavy auburn hair, so he could see them clearly behind his closed eyes again. He wanted this with a surprising fever, like an itch on the one part of his back he couldn’t reach to scratch. It felt like a compulsion. Something deeply hard to battle.”

Anthony is a good guy who takes after his grandparents more than his parents, so he feels guilty about spying. He’s named for his late grandfather, Anton, but has always used the “less foreign” name of Anthony instead.

He adores his Grandma Marion, and is very fond of his great-uncle Gregor. I liked them, too. They seemed more genuinely interested in Anton’s well-being than his parents did. They also seemed a bit real. Anthony looks like his grandfather, especially when he puts on his grandfather's favourite fedora. He decides perhaps he should acknowledge his real name after all.

But he's struggling alone. When he meets the young woman and they talk, it's obvious he falls for her instantly.

“He glanced up, and their eyes locked for a moment. Anthony found it difficult to hold her gaze. And scary. As though someone were slicing into him for a better look. But he held it anyway, because it felt like something important. Like something too good to throw away.”

He is determined to help her escape her violent husband. She disappears. Life goes on. All of the following events were just as I imagined they would be, the ups, the downs, the complications. There were just no surprises for me, but there was a lot of philosophising.

To me, this seems like an excellent read for a quite young YA audience who might benefit from some of the truisms that may be new to them. And they may benefit from the little insertions here and there about the stars and the universe (remember the telescope?) that Anton sometimes talks about.

I know Hyde is a very popular author, and her Seven Perfect Things was cute, but I’m obviously not her target market. Her target market will love this, I'm sure!

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted.

I received an ARC of this novel from Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for my review. I am a huge Catherine Ryan Hyde fan. Her novels always have strong characters with plot lines that make you want to talk about them with your book clubs or close friends. This is no exception! This is the story of Edith, a woman looking to leave an abusive husband, but it is 1965 and it isn't easy to do. Edith meets Anton-an 18 year old according to his drivers license, but due to tragedies in his past, he is wise beyond his years. After he witnesses first hand the abuse that Edith has suffered, he offers her a place to stay while she decides what to do next. She ends up slowly trusting Anton while Anton slowly comes to trust Edith. This is a beautiful story to discuss age, loss and complicated relationships. It is a bit of a slow read, but I believe that the pacing matches the characters abilities to open up and trust each other.

Anton has lived through a very traumatic experience and he's trying to get on with his life when he meets Edith. Edith is a much older woman and trying to get out of an abusive relationship and Anton is determined to help her. Despite the age difference they fall in love with each other. This is a heartwarming story of second chances - in more ways than one.

This is another fantastic novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde. The wonderful, giving soul that Anton has and the caring he shows to Edith, a neighbor, but still a stranger, makes this entire book.

We all need an Anton in our lives. I recommend Catherine Ryan Hyde's to everyone because her storytelling and ability to pull readers not only into the story, but into the very lives, hearts, and minds of her characters makes her the best, in my opinion.

I loved all of her books that I've read, and this one is no exception! You will feel like you know the characters personally! If you've never read her books, you should definitely start. LOVED this book!

An interesting plot and characterisation, and well written, but for some reason it didn't really grip me. Sometimes one has to be in the right mood for a book. I may not have finished it if I hadn't requested it through NetGalley.

I found this book hard to get into. I picked it up and put it down many times. I don’t know that I would’ve finished it if it weren’t from Netgalley. I like this author so I will pick up something else by her. I just didn’t connect with these characters. Thank you for my ARC.

Having read other Catherine Ryan Hyde books, I was ready for an enjoyable couple of days immersed in another world. Though I have enjoyed anything I have read by Ms. Ryan nothing compares to STAY. One of my favorite heart warming reads of all time.
At eighteen years of age, Anton has suffered more than his fair share of tragedy, but this this noble young man, undertakes helping the abused woman across the street.

A friendship develops between Anton and Edith though she is significantly older than him, she understands him and he understands her. Though they fall in love she must leave to keep Anton safe from her abusive husband. She cannot share where she is going with Anton because if he does not know he cannot be put in harm’s way.

They spend 15 years apart, 15 lonely years for both of them we later learn. Their lives really begin when they cross paths again.

A feel-good book, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop but it never did and that was OK with me, there had been enough sadness in Edith and Anton’s life to last a few lifetimes.
An enjoyable book, likeable characters and a slow easy pace. A nice change from the thrillers I normally read.

This book was awesome!!! I could not put it down! Catherine Ryan Hyde is an amazing author. Her books never disappoint! Can not wait for the next one!

This is my second book by this author; and it doesn’t disappoint. Anton is 18 and recently lost his grandfather and his brother. Now it’s Christmas time and his parents are taking off in a trip and leaving him alone. Then he meets Edith and falls in love. Through their lives Anton and Edith learn about real and unselfish love, loss, finding yourself and being who you are meant to be.

This book hits you in the feels from the very beginning. From the moment Anton meets and falls in love with Edith and then loses her. To the paths their lives take and the lessons they learn. I cannot give this book enough stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Catherine Ryan Hyde and Lake Union Publishing for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

This is another warm, well written novel from Catherine Ryan Hyde. Somehow she manages to touch on so many issues in this novel - domestic abuse, mental illness, suicide, disability, adoption and child protection. I truly enjoyed this book. This book spans over 55 years and it’s just wonderful. Do not miss this book! It's an amazing, sweet book about people's lives.