No One Ever Asked

Title: No One Ever Asked

Author: Katie Ganshert

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Release Date: Apr 3, 2018

Length: 352 pages

About the Book:

When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray–the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fundraiser–faced with a shocking discovery that threatens to tear her picture-perfect world apart at the seams. Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption but she is struggling with a happily-ever-after so much harder than she anticipated. Twenty-two-year-old Anaya Jones–the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge’s top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she’s stepped into. Tensions rise within and without, culminating in an unforeseen event that impacts them all.

My Review:

Katie Ganshert stepped into risky territory to bring us all a gripping novel with a much needed message for today. The multi-perspective view opened the doors to a more powerful story with deeper connections to the characters within. The characters faced a whole spectrum of emotions as they were forced to examine their views toward the people around them once they infringed upon their way of life. It develops a deeper sense of empathy for the readers as they step inside the shoes of others and examine their own biases they may or may not know they’ve held. A relevant story for current times, this is a novel not easily forgotten.

~INSPY winner blurb
(written by me)

Since before it was even released this book has been high on my TBR list but I hadn’t had the chance to dig into it until recently. Katie Ganshert takes the reader on a ride into controversial territory in hopes to bring awareness to the different sides while developing a stronger sense of empathy. This is one that I am sure will stay with me for a very long time.

The perspective of this novel being seen from the eyes of three very different women only worked to make it a more powerful story. Tensions rise quickly in the town, and each side of the conflict has strong opinions and deep-rooted emotions. Several arguments made have all been heard before, but actually seeing the place where the conflict came from within a person made the situation look a lot different and more complicated than people try to make it. I really don’t want to spoil anything, so I will simply say that this novel created a whole new level of empathy for me.

I was surprised at how often I felt angry while reading this novel. There were things I liked and disliked about each character (on a personal level…nothing wrong with the writing), but I was surprised just how deeply I connected with each of them in a way that the conflict became even stronger because I was able to empathize with quite literally everyone even if I was angry with them over how they were handling their perspectives. There is truly no “just do A and B and everything will work out.” The roots of the conflict run a mile deep. There is a lot that needs to happen for change to truly have a chance.

This novel made me both think and feel–both high markers for me when it comes to judging a book I read. Hands down it was masterfully written, and is truly a must-read in contemporary fiction.

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