His intention is to uncover the mystery of his mother's stay in France during WWII. He and wife Joan had never had children, so with Joan deceased, the widow and the lonely, reticent child (Michael’s maternal grandmother had just passed; his mother was in jail; father dead) were meant to “hang out”. ... Donoghue, a mother herself, has a perfect ear for the exasperated sighs of preteens. - 'A touching, keenly observed novel ... for all the brilliance in Donoghue’s mismatched pair (every time we might be tempted to find Michael slightly annoying, she’s a master at showing us, and reminding us, that he’s just a child raised with virtually no stability due to forces far beyond his control), the novel is at its strongest when it highlights the resemblances that unite Michael and Noah. - 'Donoghue lets off the gas just enough for the characters to connect in a way that doesn’t feel sappy. This brought tears to my eyes! This was such a wonderful read that I found myself savoring it, reading only a chapter or so a night, making it last.Emma Donoghue was a successful novelist long before her seventh novel, “Room,” eclipsed all her previous work and brought her international fame. What a gem of a book. It succeeds, you see, because it just does so many things right, a melody that’s pleasing simply because there are no off notes. - ‘Donoghue nestles a quiet mystery in the growing relationship between two different family members… Readers interested in World War II or family drama will find this a fascinating read.’ - 'Setting the story against the compelling backdrop of the annual Carnaval de Nice, Donoghue shines in her careful study of this slice of WWII history in France. Literary History A tale of love, loss and family, in which a retired New York professor’s life is thrown into chaos when he takes his great-nephew to the French Riviera, in hopes of uncovering his own mother's wartime secrets. Screen As in her bestselling novel Room, Donoghue returns to the relationship of an adult and child. Her fascination with Nice developed over the two years her family have spent in that city. Noah was leaving within days for a trip to his birthplace, Nice, which he had had planned for quite some time. He would turWhen seventy-nine-year-old Noah was asked to take temporary guardianship of his eleven-year-old great nephew, Michael, whom he had never met, he was horrified. Emma Donoghue's Akin is a great reading choice for anyone who is interested in exploring family relationships. Noah Selvaggio, an urbane 79 year old retired professor, pads carefully about his smart Manhattan apartment, packing a small case in preparation for a long awaited trip to Nice, his childhood home. Hood Room was absolutely amazing. Noah agrees to temporary guardianship but he doesn’t want to interrupt his planned trip to Nice, where he was born, so he takes Noah with him. I just love that it centers around an older person (Noah is turning 80) who is still functioning with all his creaks in his body and quirks in his mind (he talks to his dead wife for instance). Having been widowed 10 years before, he is accustomed to being alone, but just before his departure date he finds himself with an eleven year old grand nephew, and "Being alone, his normal condition for the past decade, was forbidden to Noah this week." He is contacted to take care of and be the guardian for his great grandson, whom he has never met. Noah is only days away from his first trip back to Nice since he was a child when a social worker calls looking for a temporary home for Michael, his eleven-year-old great-nephew. Noah’s and Michael’s emotional arcs never feel manipulative or contrived but always well earned.