Saving Noah

In the landscape of literature, few books possess the power to truly transform a reader's perspective. Lucinda Berry's "Saving Noah" is one such rare gem—a poignant exploration of love, sacrifice, and the indomitable human spirit that resonates long after the final page. From the moment I delved into its pages, I knew I was embarking on a journey unlike any other. "Saving Noah" isn't just a book; it's an experience—a visceral, emotional rollercoaster that left me breathless, shattered, and ultimately, profoundly moved. As I turned the last page, I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer brilliance of Berry's narrative craftsmanship. This is not just my first five-star read of 2024; it's a literary revelation—a testament to the enduring power of storytelling to illuminate the darkest corners of the human soul. "Saving Noah" is the first book I've encountered that lived up to its hype and then some. From its gripping opening lines to its gut-wrenching conclusion, Berry deftly navigates the complexities of her characters' lives with a finesse that is nothing short of masterful. While "Saving Noah" marks my introduction to Berry's work, it is abundantly clear that she possesses a masterclass way of delving into difficult topics with grace and sensitivity. With each page, she invites us into the hearts and minds of her characters, compelling us to feel every emotion, every heartbeat, as if it were our own. I found myself swept away by a tidal wave of emotions, tears streaming down my face as I bore witness to the profound depths of love and loss that permeate every aspect of this extraordinary story. Berry's ability to evoke such raw, unfiltered emotion is a testament to her unparalleled skill as a storyteller. "Saving Noah" isn't just a novel—it's a mirror held up to our own humanity, forcing us to confront the tragic, devastating events that can tear families apart. Through Berry's keen insight and unwavering compassion, we are given the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of those who have suffered unimaginable pain and loss. And yet, amidst the darkness, there is a twist at the end that I never saw coming—a testament to Berry's narrative prowess and her refusal to adhere to traditional storytelling conventions. "Saving Noah" is not a happily ever after book, but rather a poignant reflection of the messy, complicated nature of life itself. In the end, "Saving Noah" is more than just a book—it's a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit, the capacity for forgiveness, and the enduring power of love to heal even the deepest wounds. Lucinda Berry has crafted a masterpiece that will linger in the hearts and minds of readers long after they've turned the final page.

This book was not one that I went into semi blind, I knew with my past I would need to definitely make sure that I knew exactly what I was walking into. Let me start by saying this book was not at all what I thought it was going to be at all. With that being said, I do think the author did an amazing job at writing about this subject matter in a way that wasn't over the top and not disrespectful? not sure if this is the right word to use but it feels appropriate to me. I'm unsure how I completely feel about this book as it does touch on a very real and hard subject. Noah is a seemingly well rounded teenager. However when he does something unspeakable yet ultimately decides that he needs to tell someone the truth of his crimes...not to get help but to be punished. I found myself wondering what I would do in his mothers shoes, as I do have children. What lengths would I go to in order to protect them? Would I do as Adrianne and try to brush it off as a mistake and hope that everyone else would be on board in order to ensure that my childs future wasn't destroyed? Or would I react like Lucas did and shut down pretending that my child no longer existed? Saving Noah explores these matters, more so through the moms point of view with Noah and Lucas' povs sprinkled in here and there. I thought that I knew where this book was going and what the ultimate outcome would be, and I was halfway right. SO to just put it out there and be blunt about it, Noah is a pedophile. There is no sugar coating that, because at the end of the day he is. Multiple people realize this, but his mother is unwilling to hear or see it until she has no other choice. Noah seemingly feels bad about abusing two minor girls that were in his swim class. Yet also realizes that there is something wrong with him and wants to be punished for this. He ultimately decides that he HAS TO DIE because there is no curing him and to be fair he's not wrong. He sees the facts for what they are and doesn't do anything to shy away from them. In this regard I find it somehow redeeming that he was upfront, honest and has a plan about what he needed to do in order to ensure that the hurt he has already caused didn't go any further than that. Adrianne drove me nuts because she lived with these rose colored glasses on, even when people where like girl WAKE THE F**K UP AND LOOK AT EVERYTHING! On one hand I get it, I get her thinking as a mother I want to believe the best of my children and that I would be able to protect them from any and everything including themselves. However I also understand that my children are human and they do and will make mistakes, all I can do is hope that I've raised them well enough to know right from wrong and how to act with and around others. This womans denial was astounding! I wish that I could learn how to live in her delusion. Lucas on the other hand was the voice of reason (I will regret thinking this later after I think about specific things). However the way he handled things with Noah was awful...especially when you get to the end and find out that the reason he HATED and I say hated Noah, is because he admits it. This is because they are literally the same person!? I should have seen this coming when he is arguing with Adrianne and says more or less you don't understand him the way I do...excuse me sir wt actual f? Which begs the question if he is the same as his son, yet very much worse in my personal opinion because he abused his cousins, how can he live with himself and worse yet be okay being alone with Katie the young daughter? He is the pot calling the kettle black and then scoffing and being like well no one knows so it's different. Not that it makes what Noah did any better however the crimes they committed while still in the same realm are very different in some aspects, yet both are very heinous. In the end Noah kills himself with his mothers help which I don't even want to get into. Adrianne moves back home with Lucas and Katie knowing that her marriage is over. Oh yeah Lucas made her move out with Noah because he refused to have him in the home with Katie. Yet never stopped to look in the mirror...I also want to point out that Katie started displaying behaviors of a child experiencing trauma at the end of the book. And after finding out the truth about Lucas it made me pause and think....its never explicitly said that she's having the responses she is due to her home/family life and not that we now know what we know about Lucas. Not saying that anything happened to Katie but once you know what you know it's hard not to look at the whole situation from a totally different perspective and wonder about it all. While this was not my favorite read so far it was well written and done so gracefully while covering such a heavy and real topic. Definitely a quick read and worth taking the time out to read. 4.5/5

Meet Noah—an A student, award-winning swimmer, and small-town star destined for greatness. There weren’t any signs that something was amiss until the day he confessed to molesting little girls during swim team practice. He was sentenced to eighteen months in a juvenile sexual rehabilitation center. His mother, Adrianne, refused to turn her back on him despite his horrific crimes, but her husband wouldn’t allow Noah back into their home. In a series of shocking and shattering revelations, Adrianne was forced to make the hardest decision of her life. Just how far would she go to protect her son? SAVING NOAH is an unsettling story that delves into the struggles of a mother, Adrianne, as she grapples with the horrifying crimes committed by her son, Noah. While it may not be classified as a thriller, the novel explores the complexities of family dynamics and the profound impact of sexual abuse. Lucinda Berry skillfully presents the narrative from the perspectives of Noah's parents, offering a look into their emotions and reactions. Adrianne, a devoted mother, is initially portrayed as somewhat delusional. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes evident that she is struggling to comprehend the gravity of Noah's actions and the shattered image of her once "sweet little boy." As a mother of a son myself, I deeply empathize with Adrianne's pain and anguish. The novel's exploration of her journey is both heartbreaking and thought-provoking, shedding light on the complexities of parental love and the challenges of confronting the dark side of one's child. The conclusion's twist truly astounded me, leaving me in utter disbelief! Moreover, there was a scene that was particularly heartbreaking and brought tears to my eyes. Despite the challenging subject matter of SAVING NOAH, it took me on an intense emotional journey of anger, shock, and sadness. I found it impossible to put the book down and must commend Berry for having the guts to write about this topic.

I am so conflicted writing this. On one hand I really liked this author's style of writing and I found her story very readable. On the other hand, my gosh, it was tough. I found the 3 main adult characters (I count Noah in this) extremely, unbelievably selfish and self centered. The mother is so deluded by her son and her beliefs of him, that she cannot see past him being a victim. At no point do we see the little girl's he molested's story. I kept reading thinking at some point she would realize what her son had actually done and stop defending him, insisting he paid his dues and he wasn't violent. I've know too many children who were "just touched" that suffered lifetimes of pain and confusion over it. I thought at some point her eyes would be opened, but she never ever stopped blindly defending her son, even losing her marriage and in part, her young daughter, who will likely have years of therapy to overcome the split of her family. At one point, the little girl confesses she knows what her brother did (which the mother doesn't even think of questioning how a little girl knew something like this, which would be my first reaction.) The little girl insists she doesn't care if her brother molested little girls and she wouldn't care if he touched her private parts!!! And the mother just blindly goes about defending him. My red lights would be blaring!!! How did she know that and how did she get that idea in her head that she wouldn't care about something like that? The father is equally selfish, although not as blind. He refuses to do anything with the son and his care, and just blindly cuts him out because of his own back story. Then the end, with the mother helping her son commit suicide. So that's his last "selfless" act. To make his mother complicit in his suicide, using medication falsely and illegally, and watching her son die in his arms and having to live with that dark secret for the rest of her life. The whole book was infuriating and the sad part is I think it was meant to be eye opening and to be sympathetic towards this very sick kid. Having never been attracted to children, I can't tell if someone can be born that way without being hurt themselves or immersing themselves in porn. Maybe it can even be inherited. But you can have horrible thoughts. We all do all the time. Wanting to hit someone, road rage, screaming at someone, etc. But we all understand you cannot act on these thoughts. There is a saying. A bird can land on your head and you can't stop that. But you CAN stop the bird from making it's nest there. Having said all that, I did enjoy the writer's style and will check out more of her books. But this one made me so angry. c c

This book was disturbing from start to finish. The mother’s constant denial and minimizing made me furious, the father’s hypocrisy didn’t make him any better, and in the end the mother actually helping her son commit suicide was deeply unsettling. I can’t say I liked the book because the content is so heavy and upsetting, but the writing was strong, the audiobook narration excellent, and I never once felt bored. It left me feeling shock, anger, frustration, and heartbreak all at once. Disturbing, thought-provoking, and impossible to ignore.

This novel was very difficult for me to read, for several reasons. However, it is also a very important novel, not just for me, but for all people. This delves into the issue of pedophiles. This is not an easy subject to tackle and I credit Lucinda Berry for bravely taking it on. Lucinda Berry's very deep and realistic novel covers a multitude of Waze and different people that are affected when pedophilia and molestation come to light. It's not just traumatizing for the child, the parents must feel 10 times the grief in some ways. The child that that they thought they had is forever changed in both their minds, and the most harshly in the minds of others. I think that Lucinda Berry does an excellent job of showing what struggles exist on the other side of the pedophilia equation. Almost everybody has read a book, or have seen a movie, or television special on a child being molested. But we look no further and that hamstrings us as a society. Would you want to be born a pedophile? I certainly wouldn't. It would be absolutely devastating to find out my child was a pedophile. How could you stop loving your child, even finding out that they had done something horrific? Ms Berry does a deep dive when she demonstrates the confliction and horrors that beset Noah and his family. I think that this is an excellent book. What I think is more important, is that we need to do studies to find out more about these people who are born this way. We need to be able to address this as quickly as possible, before anybody gets hurt. I have a lot of empathy for somebody who was born a pedophile and doesn't act on it. And I'm speaking as someone who is a childhood victim and is also the mother of five girls. My five girls that I educated and did all I could to make sure that they never were victims, or if it did happen that they could come to me and know it is not their fault. Practiced molesters cultivate guilt, which festers into shame, worthlessness, and worst of all, silence. The reason that this was personally difficult is that I was molested at the age of 5 multiple times by the babysitters 15 year old son. I never do spoilers, but this is a bit of one. Noah is 15 at the time and his victims we're 6. Noah didn't do that much, but my perpetrator was there every day to do his worst. And he did far more than just play doctor. Also being a ward of the state of Michigan and a foster child, I was preyed on again and again. So this issue triggers some gut responses in me. Yet I have done research into this issue, and I genuinely believe that pedophiles are born that way. Thus, how can we not have pity for them, as long as they don't act upon their urges? Why aren't there more studies, to protect small children? To allow otherwise good people to thrive without the fear of hurting children and taking the drastic action that Noah felt he had to. It's easy to hate a molester, but can we not feel empathy for the ones who are born that way, give them a hope for a normal life? There's a community in Florida that has a type of 12 step program for offenders, but we need to help BEFORE they hurt children and feel/are past fixing. This is a public health and safety issue. Granted, not easily addressed, but one that if we truly put forth the effort, funding and set aside judgement would spare so many from trauma. What we do now is not working. Thank you, Ms. Berry, for bringing this to light.

This book wrecked me! It will stay with you long after reading it and haunt you, but in my opinion you will be better for having read it. Lucinda Berry is a phenomenal author. I’ve loved every book of hers I’ve read so far. Saving Noah will make you angry, sad, heartbroken, and give you a ride of emotions you won’t see coming. As a mom, I can’t even imagine the devastation and anguish this mom goes through. Something no mom ever wants to have to deal with. I ugly cried, more than once. The way Lucinda makes you feel the emotions of the mom is a talent few have. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I saw one of the twists coming and it made me furious. Have a box of Kleenex ready when you read it.

Really great book. I read it all in one sitting. The twists at the end were phenomenal. Lots of different emotions throughout the book. 4 stars just because there were quite a few grammar/spelling mistakes. If a book is going through the author, editor, and publisher before being published to the masses, it really needs to be picked through with a fine toothed comb. Makes it feel like it was just carelessly written when it’s a great book. Would definitely recommend to anybody who can handle the subject matter!

I have never read a book like that before and I absolutely loved it. It is very well written and immersive. I had a whole movie in my head! I learned a lot from reading this book, it was really interesting.

Made me cry so hard and broke my heart! A sad and important book! Love Noah❣️

An exceptional work from author with emotional impact, the ending was exceptional with an unimaginable twist. The acceptance of truth requires lots of courage, which was explained in a great way with the main character.

Amazing book, recommended.

É sem duvida o livro mais pesado que eu já li! Completamente original e profundamente psicológico, mas que te coloca numa situação mental de muita agonia! É interessante, bem escrito, quase brilhante em alguns momentos, mas PROSSIGA COM CAUTELA. Foi uma leitura desafiadora que colocou meu cérebropra trabalhar e pensar sobre questões difíceis, mas definitivamente não te indicaria esse livro!