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Reviewed by C.R. Hurst for Readers' Favorite
Part character study, part medical mystery, part legal drama, Always Hope by Heather Frimmer is a difficult novel to classify. In it, three flawed people are brought together by the birth of a child gone wrong. Kendall Carlson’s uneventful pregnancy turns into a harrowing delivery in which a daughter named Hope is born. When she is later diagnosed with cerebral palsy, the erratic behavior of Kendall's obstetrician, Jessica Schorr, is called into question. Lawyer Abe Silverberg, who takes the case, wants to boost his flagging career but also wants justice served; however, none of the three is prepared for the complexities that accompany justice. Each must battle personal tragedies and insecurities, as well as the many uncertainties in determining what really happened the day Hope was born.
Initially, I found the three protagonists in Always Hope unlikable, but soon realized the burdens they carry. With each chapter, I learned each backstory as author Heather Frimmer reveals more and more about them. Kendall, the secret shopaholic, hopes her decision to disregard suggested cervical checks late in her pregnancy did not lead to her daughter’s disorder. Jessica, the perfectionist, secretly hides her panic attacks, hoping she can simply will herself through them. Abe, a recent widower, demonstrates his hopeless domestic skills by putting Dawn liquid in the dishwasher (yes, despite its heavy subject matter, the book can be very funny). As I learned more about them, the better I understood them and truly hoped their stories ended well. Always Hope is a delightfully surprising novel about human imperfections and our capacity to adapt and, of course, to hope.
