Hillary's Angel by Lynn Sly

Review by Nina Gomez
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

As Hillary discovers, no matter who we talk to, how many people we consult or how many books we read, there's never any guarantee that the choices we make are the right ones. The best she can do is to follow her own heart, and ultimately she finds what's right for her.

This novel is about children who are "different" -- the ones who don't make their developmental milestones on time, or ever. It's also about morality and being a woman in South Africa. It's about dilemmas and confusion and love -- not just romantic love. It's about uncertainty and ambivalence. And angels.

My Review:

Hillary’s Angel is a story about a woman’s daily struggle to live a life within the confines of her circumstances.  The farm, her husband, her children and her faith are what define her as a person, and she grows in slow acquiescence of that which has been handed to her.  One day, her world is turned upside down when her husband hires an assistant named Raphael who changes the way that she thinks and feels. Suddenly, acceptance of her situation is no longer enough. She wants more. As she deals with her mixed emotions, she begins to attain a conviction so strong that she no longer wants to live her life in tired acceptance of the way things are. Every innocent moment spent with Raphael provides a new meaning, and she begins to thrive on their every conversation, every stolen look and glance.

As a woman living in South Africa, Hillary is bound by her faith and duty as a wife, mother and member of her church, as well as by a governing system that has taken charge of her developmentally disabled child.  As Hillary’s self confidence grows, she embarks on a search for herself, as well as for ways to enliven the hope that one day her child will get better.  She resolves to channel the pain of separation from her child into a quest for answers to his condition. The role of Raphael in her transformation is a prevalent point throughout the book.  But did he also influence events in the story that intertwined her life with that of Hans, Paulie, Cecile and Jorg? Did he merely save her from herself or was he there to see to it that Hillary would eventually find her peace? Who is Hillary’s angel?

The author is an eloquent story teller who writes about the essence and spirit of every human being that impacts life’s daily interactions.  No matter how fleeting, our character is shaped by the way that people have touched us.  The poignancy of Hillary’s plight and her child’s seemingly hopeless condition is delicately expressed in the book.   There are however, parts within the book that were long and uneventful.   I also felt that the ending was a little bit unresolved. There was no closure between Hillary and Raphael, no conclusion to the events that led to her ending with Robbie. Come to think of it, maybe the author had a point in avoiding a final confrontation with Raphael.  After all, maybe Hillary was always in charge of her own destiny and that Raphael was merely an instrument in helping her to realize that she was always in command of her own happy ending.

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