A Story of Us by Lesley Newson and Peter Richerson uses the theory of “gene-culture inheritance” to provide a narrative of how we evolved from our common chimpanzee ancestor about 7 million years ago to who we are today, and how we are still changing. It is human history on the broadest possible stage. I had some real belly laughs in this although there were moments I was gulping, hard, so I didn't snivel at work !

Helaas is het niet allemaal rozengeur en manenschijn, want het plot van het boek is helaas voorspelbaar, alhoewel Atkins toch goed haar best heeft de gedaan hier verandering in te brengen. Ze sluimert af en toe een vaagheid door het verhaal heen om de lezer op het verkeerde been te zetten. Niet iedereen zal hiervan houden, maar ik geef toe dat ik het heerlijk vond :-). It’s hard to cut writing. Perfectionism, sunk costs, etc. Procrastination abound. I would try to cut a section down, polish it off, and move on, but kept finding myself rewriting the section entirely. I was moving at a snail’s pace. Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez was one of my most surprising and memorable reads of 2022, so it'll come as no surprise that The Story of Us was one of my most anticipated reads for 2023.A Story of Us: A New Look at Human Evolution by Lesley Newson and Peter Richerson indeed do, as the subtitle suggests, takes a new look at the evolution of our species. Emma and Richard are forced to postpone the wedding to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy. As time goes on, though, secrets are slowly revealed, secrets that shake the very foundation Emma’s life was built upon. Her trust in everyone is shaken. Working together in groups provided more opportunities for behaviours to be copied from one person to another, providing an environment for more cultural evolution. Changes to the cultural “landscape” would have favoured some genes above others. This would have adapted the hominid to thrive in that cultural environment and simultaneously extend or change the boundaries of possible behaviours that they – through cultural shifts – could potentially adopt. Told from such a unique perspective - starting from an unfertilized egg, moving to a fetus, and finally to a newborn - which definitely took some getting used to. However, it was unlike anything else I've ever read and offered such an interesting point of view. There's no denying the author's creativity and talent with emotionally charged writing, and her characters have so much depth and growth. I liked this book and thought it was a great coming-of-age read. I just wish the journey had been a little more smooth in its presentation for me.

Written from the perspective of an infant, an unborn child, and even an unfertilized egg (a Maybe Baby) - waiting for their own life to unfold from the moment of their mother's conception until after their birth.. This was one of the most uniquely narrated books I've ever read. The Story of Us forces us to witness the structures of Canada's immigration system by Huda Hassan, The Globe and Mail, April 7, 2023. Nachdem mich Frau Atkins letztes Jahr mit "Die Achse meiner Welt" sehr überzeugen konnte (und mich sogar zum weinen brachte), habe ich mich sehr auf ihr neuestes Werk gefreut. Jedoch muss ich sagen: Von "Die Nacht schreibt uns neu" habe ich tatsächlich mehr erwartet. Also, I love dogs. I have a blue heeler we rescued and her name is Mellie and she is currently taking up 2/3 of the 1/3 of the bed allotted to me and I'm not complaining. Because I love my dog. But this book seemed some times to go over the top with the focus on the dog. I know Deb Caletti's family recently lost their beloved pooch and I'm sure this was cathartic to write, but it detracted from the story. A dog is a member of the family, it's true, but she didn't make for a particularly good (or even existent) plot. Be prepared for incredibly fraught relationships, desperate moments full of fear and powerlessness, and heartwarming moments that remind us that even though we are only human, we can have the capacity for the greatest understanding and love.

Told from the unique perspective of Mary Grace's unborn child and great on audio narrated by the author herself. I really loved this story!! The focus on some of the most neglected and disrespected members of society was so well done (both immigrant workers and PSWs). I also really enjoyed the friendship that developed between Mary Grace and Liz and the way she ended up fighting for her was so touching!

Ash was in tears. Ma was in tears. But I barely cried. I looked right at her, this woman I knew so well. This woman I have watched for ages through time, through natural disasters, through death, through heartache, through pleasure and pain. I looked right at her. The Story of Us is the story of Mary Grace Concepcion, a Filipino worker who has left her family behind to build a new life in Canada. She secures employment as a personal support worker in Toronto, caring for Liz, an elderly woman living in a bungalow in Scarborough who is living with dementia. An unlikely relationship blossoms between the two, as Mary Grace works to bring her husband to Canada and learns more about Liz's surprising past. The Story of Us is narrated by Mary Grace's infant daughter, adding a unique twist to this heartfelt story. Hello? Hi. Liz? Can you hear me? Can you see me if you look into my eyes? See the spirit in this infant body? I know you're distracted by my sweet smell and the plump of my cheeks. If I wasn't swaddled this tightly I would try and wave. Get your attention. Or... maybe that would make things worse. Then you might be distracted by my advanced motor skills. Ugh! I want to sigh in frustration, but even sighing has made you all coo at me before, and really, what I need from you is your focus. You, more than anyone. Plus, I think having older characters who then die of old age in a way that somehow benefits other characters (with a lesson about mortality, or whatever) belittles the life experiences of actual old people (and animals). They have a lot to offer besides dying! (I kind of love stories with feisty grandmas, because feisty fictional grandmas are fun and rarely die.) Emmas großes Ereignis steht bevor, sie erinnert sich beim betrachten ihrer Narbe aber an damals und erzählt uns ihre Geschichte...The pacing was a bit slow to begin with, but my interest really piqued once MG made it to Canada. For me, it is the second half of the story (her time with Liz) that really shone. I appreciated how MG's world views were expanded from her experience. The author also gives incredible insight into caregiver life. Although I’d owned this book for a while, I had no plans to read it until my GR friend, Alan, claimed it was his “favourite Canadian read of 2023”. Well, I read a lot of CanLit and I’d just declared Michelle Porter’s A Grandmother Begins the Story to be my favourite read of 2023—Canadian or otherwise! So I had to read The Story of Us for myself… I am a MASSIVE fan of Dani Atkins and her writing. Her first novel, Fractured, was one of the BEST books I read in 2013, so with this in mind I was eagerly anticipating her latest novel!