Blog Tour: “Relativity” by Antonia Hayes

‘Relativity is wonderful, a beautifully written, heartbreaking novel that I feel certain will find the huge audience it deserves.’ SJ Watson, author of Before I Go to Sleep and Second Life

‘Relativity is a novel of assured and measured empathy, a story of familial love and familial hurt that is fair, honest and remarkably non-judgmental. Hayes is a convincing writer and a true storyteller: her characters are alive.’ Christos Tsiolkas, author of THE SLAP

Ethan is an exceptionally gifted young boy, obsessed with physics and astronomy. 

His single mother Claire is fiercely protective of her brilliant, vulnerable son. But she can’t shield him forever from learning the truth about what happened to him when he was a baby; why Mark had to leave them all those years ago.

Now age twelve, Ethan is increasingly curious about his past, especially his father’s absence in his life. When he intercepts a letter to Claire from Mark, he opens a lifetime of feelings that, like gravity, will pull the three together again.

Relativity is a tender and triumphant story about unbreakable bonds, irreversible acts, and testing the limits of love and forgiveness. 

First Thoughts

When I read about Relativity first, it quickly moved fast up my TBR pile because of the sheer beauty that it had the potential to be. What person wouldn’t delve into the pages after that blurb?

Review

Firstly, before anything else, this story is about Ethan and Claire. They are beautifully flawed and magnificent characters that light up the pages with their amazing bond. Ethan was a brilliantly written character, something that I highly applaud Antonia for. Since Ethan was really young, he has always lived with his Mum, Claire. But like any child would wonder, he did think about who his father was because of his vacancy in their family picture. 

What we get next is a story that truly grips the reader. We learn about Claire’s past with Mark, Ethan’s father, and the structure of their early foundation and how it plays into the future. As the magnitude of the situation unfolds in the pages, we learn that there’s more than meets the eye to what we know is the truth and how there are many versions of the same story that need listening to. This all plays into the unsteady foundation of the past and how it invades the perfect family Claire and Ethan had. 

I love stories about family. There’s something about reading about these strong bonds that makes me happy and sad at the same time. Claire, Ethan and Mark’s story is an unforgettable one that will have your heart breaking at the powerful plot. Overall, I couldn’t have loved Relativity more than I did. The characters were written so elegantly and the plot with care and realistic elements. If you love stories about the journey of family, love and bonds, you will adore this book like I did. It’s surely one of the best books in it’s genre that I’ve ever read. Five stars completely. 

Rating

Antonia
Hayes, who grew up in Sydney and spent her twenties in Paris, currently lives
in London with her husband and son. Relativity
is her first novel.

Have you heard of Relativity?

What do you think?

Let me know in the comments and stop by the other tour stops today to see what everyone else thought of this amazing book!

happy reading!