By Aria Kavitha Fiorillo (Reporter, ‘25)
I have been making great use of the Blackburn Library this year, as I have found some amazing reads, one of them being Far From The Tree by Robin Benway. The novel is about three biological siblings who find each other, after living apart for years, during their searches for their birth mother. It is written from a third person point of view and it shifts perspectives between the siblings. I tend to gravitate towards the first-person point of view so, honestly, I was hesitant to read the book, but Far From The Tree opened my mind to
reading books in the third person because I could really connect to the characters, something that I hadn’t thought likely from a book in that perspective. Something that I especially like about the book is that it is a perfect balance of comedy, sorrow, romance, and beauty.

I would recommend Far From The Tree to people of all ages—particularly teens—who like realistic fiction, but even if you aren’t a realistic-fiction fanatic, you should still give it a shot! It is a beautiful and heart wrenching read. You might be thinking: ugh, another realistic fiction novel about teens? I’ll pass! But, Far From The Tree is unique. First off, I have not encountered many books that shift perspectives between siblings. Furthermore, each point of view focuses on the characters’ individual lives and relationships. The bigger picture shows their connections to each other. I appreciated that each of the siblings’ lives was quite different from the others, and I could genuinely connect to each of their situations. Far From The Tree helped me to better understand the experience of those in the foster care system, as well as adopted people, though it is important to note that the experiences of the characters in the novel are not universal. Happy reading!
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