Your Constant Star

By Brenda Hasiuk

Faye is the "good" adopted Chinese daughter. Bev is the wild child. Mannie is the unambitious stoner. What brings them together--and tears them apart--is a need to move beyond the clichés and commit to something--anything--that will bring meaning and joy to their lives. When Faye's long-lost childhood neighbor, Bev, turns up out of the blue, wanting something from her old friend, Faye goes along with Bev's plan. But Mannie, the joyriding daddy of Bev's baby, has a half-crazed romantic agenda of his own. As one cold, miserable prairie spring inches toward summer, a series of unexpected and sometimes explosive decisions sends the trio hurtling toward disaster. A darkly funny portrayal of three unforgettable teenagers feeling their way into adulthood in an imperfect world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Apr 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781459803695

Brenda Hasiuk

Brenda Hasiuk is an award-winning short-fiction writer whose work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. Her first novel, Where the Rocks Say Your Name, was nominated for the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award and the McNally Robinson Book of the Year. She lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the coldest major city on earth, with her husband, author Duncan Thornton. For more information, visit www.brendahasiuk.com.

Reviews for Your Constant Star

[annhepburn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book, which paints a very interesting picture of what it's like to grow up as an adopted Chinese girl in Canada. I'd prefer the plot to have remained with one character, rather than unevenly splitting it between three, but I found this a great realistic, contemporary YA unlike what else is out there.

[amandacharland_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a story told in three parts by three different characters and their purpose in life as it relates to being given up/giving up/not wanting to give up a baby. I actually liked adopted Faye's voice enough that I wanted to hear it throughout the book. As a reader, I could have handled jumping back and forth into the three characters for more than just one chunk of the book each. Having said that, I still did enjoy reading the book. I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending.

[kissedbyink · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well told story that drew me in immediately. It was a quick read, which I was really in the mood for when I picked it up. Full of voice and pretty writing.

[elizabeth_hurlburt_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was really enjoying this while told through the perspective of Faye, but once the story shifted to Bev and then Mannie I lost interest. I understand why the story needed to be told from all sides but Mannie and Bev's stories just didn't seem as well developed.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Faye was adopted from China by Canadian parents. Bev is a friend from childhood, back in town and pregnant. Mannie is the baby daddy who doesn't want their baby to be adopted. They wrestle with their inner demons, trying to push past stereotypes. Quiet, introspective prose, but ehhh...

[joyfiction_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Perhaps this book didn’t appeal to me for the simple reason that, having had many friends and several relatives that were adopted I have very strong feelings about adoption (none of which are negative) and I often find fictional depictions of adopted kids to be a bit off from my experience with children who have been adopted so it causes a disconnect. (I acknowledge that perhaps all of the perspective I’ve been exposed to don’t cover all of the perspective there are so that could be part of the problem.) Or perhaps I have a hard time appreciating a lot of young fiction by now. Or maybe I just couldn’t get engrossed in the way the story played out and the way the author wrote. That’s not to say that the author was completely horrid or anything of the sort but the writing style just didn’t appeal to me. And I found that, despite the fact that I can get through young adult books rather quickly on a normal basis, it took a lot concentration for me to focus long enough to finish the book.

[lizzyerwin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story traces the intersecting lives of three people: Faye, a dutiful daughter whose identity does not revolves her adoption into a white family; Bev, a wild child whose home life and unexpected pregnancy prompt her to seek out and old friend; and Mannie, a stoner who wants more from life than what has been handed to him. While a quick read, I found myself frustrated with the characters and their actions. On one hand, the teenage years are fraught with ambiguity and the belief that one is bullet proof. I bought Mannie’s conviction that he could be a god dad even when he was confronted with the reality of parenting. But the female voices in this book verged on stereotypes. people are rarely only good (Faye) or rarely only selfish (Bev) and I thought the plot and characterizations suffered from a lack of nuance. There is little complexity to be found and the writing, while more often engaging than not, is not strong enough to warrant my recommendation.