Book Review: "Ask Again, Yes" by Mary Beth Keane
“Ask Again, Yes” by Mary Beth Keane
Synopsis: A profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the friendship between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, the daily intimacies of marriage, and the power of forgiveness.
Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie cops in the NYPD, live next door to each other outside the city. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive events to come.
Ask Again, Yes is a deeply affecting exploration of the lifelong friendship and love that blossoms between Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, born six months apart. One shocking night their loyalties are divided, and their bond will be tested again and again over the next 40 years. Luminous, heartbreaking, and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes reveals the way childhood memories change when viewed from the distance of adulthood—villains lose their menace and those who appeared innocent seem less so. Kate and Peter’s love story, while haunted by echoes from the past, is marked by tenderness, generosity, and grace. - Simon & Schuster
Rating: 4.25
Review: Every so often, we each like to take another look at a book one of us has previously reviewed. Our tastes have quite a bit of overlap, but they also diverge frequently, and I love finding out what each of us responded to in a particular novel. Elizabeth reviewed this book a couple of months ago, and I loved it so much I wanted a turn as well! On this one, it even turns out we gave it the same exact rating!
This book focuses on two families, the Gleesons and the Stanhopes, whose patriarchs meet in the NYPD police academy in the early ‘70s. The families end up living across from each other in a suburb of NYC, though nearly any other similarity they could have ends there. Lena Gleeson is lonely in the town of GIllam after a childhood in a close-knit family in Bay Ridge, and Anne Stanhope’s mental health struggles are exacerbated by two tragic stillbirths. However, the Gleeson’s third daughter, Kate, and the Stanhope’s only son, Peter, form a bond that will last their entire life.
A tragic event occurs about a third of the way into the book that significantly impacts the trajectory of the lives of all involved. I really cannot reveal anything about this event, as it would spoil quite a bit, but it results in Kate and Peter being separated from each other against their will.
Years later, Peter and Kate find their way back to each other and resume the aborted romance they had begun as young teens. The past, however, is never far for them, and its impact on their lives is the focus of the last portion of the novel.
Overall, I was absolutely floored by the compassion this novel showed to everyone involved. It would be so easy to paint several characters as villains, but the writing never takes that easy way out. Even characters who do awful things find their way, slowly, to redemption in ways that are incredibly touching.
Just like Elizabeth, I was very touched at the end, when we find out what the title means. This book is such a lovely meditation on having to heal our pasts before they can be done with us, and I truly recommend it without reservation.
Trigger warnings: gun violence, alcoholism, mental health struggles, transgenerational trauma, child sexual abuse
TL;DR: A lovely and touching family saga that spans four decades. Truly a beautifully life-affirming read.
If you liked this, try these:
“Miracle Creek” by Angie Kim (EE’s review here!)
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