The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson

Book Description: (from Amazon)

“Set against the backdrop of Redwood forests and shimmering vineyards, Seré Prince Halverson’s compelling debut tells the story of two women, bound by an unspeakable loss, who each claims to be the mother of the same two children.

To Ella Beene, happiness means living in the northern California river town of Elbow with her husband, Joe, and his two young children. Yet one summer day Joe breaks his own rule-never turn your back on the ocean-and a sleeper wave strikes him down, drowning not only the man but his many secrets.

For three years, Ella has been the only mother the kids have known and has believed that their biological mother, Paige, abandoned them. But when Paige shows up at the funeral, intent on reclaiming the children, Ella soon realizes there may be more to Paige and Joe’s story. “Ella’s the best thing that’s happened to this family,” say her close-knit Italian-American in-laws, for generations the proprietors of a local market. But their devotion quickly falters when the custody fight between mother and stepmother urgently and powerfully collides with Ella’s quest for truth.

The Underside of Joy is not a fairy-tale version of stepmotherhood pitting good Ella against evil Paige, but an exploration of the complex relationship of two mothers. Their conflict uncovers a map of scars-both physical and emotional-to the families’ deeply buried tragedies, including Italian internment camps during World War II and postpartum psychosis.

Weaving a rich fictional tapestry abundantly alive with the glorious natural beauty of the novel’s setting, Halverson is a captivating guide through the flora and fauna of human emotion-grief and anger, shame and forgiveness, happiness and its shadow complement . . . the underside of joy.”

I really enjoyed this book and I cried a lot! This book is so compelling it draws you in and Ella’s loss becomes your own. It packs and emotional punch right to your heart and your stomach. Halverson takes you on a journey through these characters lives. She pulls you into to the most intimate of moments between Ella and her children. Those everyday little moments where the love is so thick you can breathe it in. The emotional roller coaster is constant through the book. When Paige threatens to take the children, you feel the fear building inside you. As the book unfolds Halverson reveals both sides of the coin. You find yourself heartbroken with Ella, but understanding and sympathizing with Paige. The book blossoms as Halverson weaves such rich content in her description of the natural surroundings and family history. One thing that radiates through this entire book, and the entire family is the strength of woman. The strength of woman to forge on after tragedy, to put their family first forsaking all else, even when it tears their hearts apart. The maternal bond that holds a family together. “I know now that the most genuine happiness is kept afloat by and underlying sorrow.”