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Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Our Share of Morning by Laura Bonazzoli is a richly layered novel set against the backdrop of 1930s and 1940s America. It follows two sisters, Violet and Glory, living in a tenement overshadowed by the mysterious disappearance of Ada, a neighbor’s daughter. As poverty and illness threaten their family, the sisters find strength in each other. But as they come of age, a broken love and the unraveling of Ada’s story test their bond. The story alternates between the perspectives of Violet, Glory, and Violet’s reflections on her family’s struggles, including Mama’s TB, Papa’s absences, and how cultural expectations shape their lives and beliefs. Mama’s diagnosis, her hospitalization at a sanatorium, and the subsequent impact on their tight-knit family culminate in moments of hope, grief, and spiritual questioning.
Laura Bonazzoli’s Our Share of Morning is an emotionally charged narrative. The characters are well-developed, realistically flawed, and relatable. The author deftly explores their inner worlds, allowing readers to feel the emotional friction. The supporting characters like Father Garcia are written with depth, and the author excels at showing how circumstances and situations beyond the characters’ control shape them. The setting vividly captures the immigrant neighborhood. The central conflict revolves around the children’s longing for their mother’s return and their struggle to reconcile their faith with the devastating realities of illness and death. This author is a skilled storyteller who captivates readers with clever thematic development, writing thoughtfully about poverty, contagion, superstition, misogyny, and the factors that influence free will. I enjoyed everything, from the prose to the characters and the plot.
