The Holding by Lynda Faye Schmidt
What's It About?
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” — e.e. cummingsWe spend our entire lives, over 50, 60, 70 or more years, waiting to see how things will turn out. You don’t have to wait that long to see what happens with Cate Henderson, the main character in The Holding (OC Publishing) by Lynda Faye Schmidt (prequel to The Healing). Based on true events in the author’s life, we follow Cate from her very dramatic birth through to adulthood, where she is now married and a mom of three.
Right from the start, Cate’s story draws you in. Immediately, we find ourselves in a small Canadian town in the 1960s as Cate’s parents, Donna and William, arrive at the ER of the small local clinic-like hospital, their unborn baby in distress. The baby is Cate, and although she comes into this world premature, she is strong and resilient from the beginning. From here, we quickly get to know Cate and her family, including her older brother, Michael, as she starts her life.
CATE’S STORY DRAWS YOU IN
The author covers a lot of ground as Cate begins to grow, facing many of life’s joys and challenges. So many personal memories came flooding back for me as I was reading the book. Schmidt shares stories from Cate’s childhood, many of which might have easily been forgotten but stood out in her memories nonetheless: when her first grade teacher told the class that Santa wasn’t real and suggested that Cate’s mother was a liar, time spent with her dad reading to her at bedtime, playing baseball with her dad and brother, the drama of female friendships, moving to a new town that ripped her away from all her friends, the heartbreak when her dog was hit by a car, getting drunk at a school dance, etc., etc. And in between these moments, there were darker experiences that Cate endured, and through them, Schmidt explores the lingering effects of things that happen in childhood.
As I was reading these stories, it was so interesting watching Cate experience an array of life situations and seeing how the choices she made impacted her. A large focus of the book was on how various experiences throughout life shape the person that you become. In Cate’s case, her relationship with her parents, her father in particular, was key. They provided her with love and support to get through the challenges she faced.
THE AUTHOR COVERS GROUND QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY
The author uses Cate’s routine of writing in a journal very effectively to allow us insight into Cate’s thoughts and feelings. In this way, we have a chance to get to know her more intimately as we see how she processes her experiences and grows in her faith. We watch as she struggles with the ups and downs of her childhood and young adulthood and are witness to her growing maturity over the years. We also see just how dangerous life can be and how heartbreaking as well. Nevertheless, there are always wonderful things tucked in between for which we can be grateful.
I don’t want to give too much away, but by the time I finished the book, I was emotionally spent as I had gotten to know Cate and her family so personally, having been fully invested in what was happening to them. It’s not often that I cry when reading a book, but I needed a Kleenex by my side by the time I turned the last page of this novel, and the poem that Cate writes at the end of the book wrecked me … but in a good way. The Holding is an emotional and intimate read.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this beautiful review Barbara! I loved your comment, that reading the poem Cate writes at the end of the poem wrecked you, but in a good way!
Thank you for putting this out there. I agree with your opinion and I hope more people would come to agree with this as well.