Akin is the story of almost 80 year old Noah and his great nephew, Michael. Noah is looking forward to spending his 80th birthday in Nice, discovering more about his mother and her role in the French resistence. He finds himself being accompanied by Michael, who faces Foster care if Noah can't provide care. Michael is foul mouthed and wary, he has faced grief over the death of his father and grandmother and the imprisonment of his own mother.

I'm always drawn to Donoghues work as I feel there is something unique about the stories she has to tell. Akin isn't unique, but it is compelling and heartwarming, seeing the relationship develop between two unlikely characters. At times the history sections were a bit tedious and info dumpy and it was very predictable.

Despite all of that however it's a very enjoyable story, full of hope and the meaning of family.

I enjoyed this tale of an "odd" couple. An (almost) octogenarian ex professor and an 11 year old great nephew whom he hadn't met but undertakes (manipulated really) to foster temporarily. The boy's mother is in prison for drugs offences, his father (the Professor's nephew) died from a seeming drug overdose despite "being clean"and with his maternal grandmother's death there are no near relatives to foster him. Either the professor takes him in or the boy will have to go into care. The professor is about to set off to NIce where he was born (he came to the USA to join part of his family during WW2) to connect with his homeland but also to try to discover the story behind some haphazard photographs taken by his mother (who always took excellent considered photos as her father was a famous photographer) from the time when she was in NIce on her own during the Nazi occupation (without her husband or son) ostensibly looking after her ailing father before following the rest of the family to New York.

The narrative zips along, the culture shock of being in France compared to NY is explored somewhat humourously. The aches and pains of aging, the flippancy of youth, the worry that your family history was not what you had thought and that things are not always as they seem (both for the boy and his great uncle). are core to the narrative, The professor is a "teacher devil" (can't stop explaining every little thing to the boy) and sometimes I wanted to cry "shut up" at him. I thought the boy, for a supposed "difficult" child was remarkably restrainted and patient. This was a bit of departure in writing for Emma Donoghue but like all her novels (my favourite is Slammerkin) well worth reading.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 ok stars

I’ve enjoyed previous books by the author but just couldn’t get into this one.

I found the narrative quite slow and I just couldn’t engage with the main characters.

The writing and description are great but it was a bit of a slog for me.

Okay, this story is a bit cliched and predictable in some regards, but it's still superb with some beautiful writing elevating those easy tropes into something truly worth reading. The cliche part? Here's a widower, Noah, preparing to celebrate his 80th birthday when he finds himself becoming guardian for his estranged 11-year-old great-nephew, Michael. Yeah, you can probably see that whole story arc unfolding already. That shouldn't be a negative though, it makes for a warm, welcoming read and allows Donoghue to deliver the deeper, more intriguing storyline of Noah's own mother. She remained in Nice during the Second World War, which gave me an insight into that part of the war, something I hadn't really noticed that I hadn't had before.

These two storylines combined elegantly to create a surprisingly easy read given very few punches are pulled - Donoghue may be writing fiction but she never shies away from the harsh realities that frame both of these plots. Michael has that terrifying contrast of innocence and world-weary wisdom that highlights the harsh world we live in. Not that it's completely new, as deftly shown with the historical view of the war. Noah finds himself walking that delicate line of wanting to protect his young ward, and a need to be honest about the world ahead of him.

Of course, Noah and Michael's relationship is the cornerstone of the whole story. And, despite the well-worn path it takes, Donoghue's sublime writing keeps is fresh. It is beautifully crafted, and as with much of her other writing, incredibly easy to fall into glorious belief. Her characters have nuances that bring them to live as few authors can manage, they are clever and accurate, making them real within just a few paragraphs. It is an incredible skill and without doubt the most endearing part of every piece I've read from the author. It allows her to do things that shouldn't work the way they do - consistently pushing her artform in the most subtle ways. I find myself reading along merrily, smiling at the obvious signposts she lays for what is yet to come, and yet I still get drawn in, deeper than is reasonable. It is a marvellous skill and one that truly separates her from the crowd.

Another masterpiece from one of the greats of this time. A warm and tender read that lingers. Read it!

I've now read and loved three of Emma Donoghue's books (Room, The Wonder and, now, Akin). On the face of it, all three have been very different although they all have wonderful, engaging writing in common. Akin may well be my favourite of the three.

The novel centres around an unexpected 'odd couple' relationship between eleven-year old Michael and his seventy-nine year old great-uncle Noah as they go on a trip to Nice to re-visit Noah's early years and explore a family mystery. This mystery was, in itself, fascinating but what kept me turning the pages and reading past my bedtime was the engaging and often amusing interactions between the two protagonists. By the end, I had grown very fond of these characters.

As a keen francophile and someone who has lived in France, I loved reading more about Nice and seeing how the characters responded to French culture and language. The author's love of the place and her research certainly came across, since I felt like I was there.

If that weren't interesting enough, there is lots to think about beneath the surface of this book. I loved the way Donoghue explored the themes of family, inheritance and memory in original ways and from several angles (from science and chemistry to the arts and photography). In that sense, this book made an interesting comparison to Ann Patchett's The Dutch House, which I also read recently.

This was one of those rare novels that made me think about our place in the world in new and thought=provoking ways - I can't wait to read what Emma Donoghue writes next!

Thank you and 'mille mercis' to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for an advance copy of Akin in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very unusual and enjoyable tale of two people from New York, the 79 year old Noah, and his great nephew, 11 year old Michael, during a week travelling to Nice. They are thrust together as Michael’s social worker persuades Noah that the boy will have to be taken into care if Noah does not step up. They meet each other for the first time just days before travelling to France.
The contrast between the old man, who is widowed and has little to look forward to in life, and the street wise but vulnerable Michael, is beautifully explored by the author.
The irritations and annoyances of two wildly different people thrust into living together 24/7 is by turn irritating and humorous. Michael has much to offer to Noah in terms of using modern communications, and helps him in his search to discover more about his mother. Noah takes his responsibility for his young charge very seriously, but finds Michael’s youthful exuberance and recklessness hard to handle at times.
Noah is desperate to find out about the two years his mother missed of his upbringing, when she sent him to New York to join his father while she remained in Nice. What was she doing? Who was she with? The set of a few old photos he unearthed in his sister’s belongings are his only clue. Michael offers his sharp observational skills and modern thinking to help solve the mystery.
The story is poignant in so many ways, heartbreaking at times, and also very funny. But ultimately these two people come to realise that they may be better off together than apart, and this reader was urging them to make the most of a possible future together, however long or short it may be.

Once again I was impressed by the Emma Donoghue’s ability to inhabit so accurately the minds of such wildly different characters as Noah and. Michael, while bringing them both so to life so convincingly.
My thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

I have to confess I am a real fan of this authors historical fiction, with Slammerkin, Frog Music and the Wonder amongst my top reads. In Akin she returns to a contemporary setting and writes with the panache and elegance which is her own style.

An elderly man and a young lad are thrown together to form the odd couple at the heart of this story based around a trip to Nice. Its a feel-good book (do they call this type of novel up-lit?) Amusing and heartwarming and ever so engaging the hapless duo who grate on each other at first eventually begin to discover things in common and work together to solve a family mystery based around some wartime photos.

All the way through it felt familiar, then I realised I read something vaguely similar recently entitled Baxter's Requiem by Matthew Crow.

I've loved Emma Donoghue's previous books despite them all being quite different so was really excited to read Akin. It's about an elderly man who is turning 80 and wants to visit the land he came from but inherits a distant family member- a teenage boy who he doesn't know. He takes the boy on the trip and there are inevitable clashes. It's not a bad read and I got through it quite quickly but just found it wasn't to Donoghue's usual standard and definitely didn't grip me.

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

I loved 'Room' so was thrilled to be able to read an advanced copy and enjoyed this immensely

I love the way the author uses language and this is beautifully written - great character development and loved the story - literally could not put this down

The story felt real and current to me and I just wanted to sit in a corner and immerse myself til it was finished - so that's what I did !!!

Loved it and would highly recomment - a fantastic read

I loved this book. Noah, a retired chemistry professor and widower, is living a quiet, peaceful life. He is planning a trip to his birthplace, the South of France, to celebrate his 80th birthday and research his mother’s past, after finding some old photos. As he packs his bags for this quiet journey, he is surprised to discover he is taking his 11 year old great-nephew, Michael, whom he has never met, but has nowhere to live while his mom is in prison. This journey is hilarious, touching, and a meeting of the minds between these two. I laughed. I learned. I rejoiced at the end. This is a wonderful story

I loved Noah and his honest narrative was an exceptional tool in this story. It is touching, honest, complex and enlightening.
We follow Noah and his great-nephew Michael on a journey to Nice, France, which is in someway a swansong for Noah but transpires to be a begniing not an end.
I loved the sytle and tone of the author and will definitely be reading her others.

Noah, a widower approaching his retirement at the age of 79, gets landed with fostering his 11 year old great nephew as he is the only living relative available at the time. The boy's mother is in prison on drug charges and his father died in a drug related incident. Noah has planned a trip to France to re-visit his origins and has to take the boy along as it is too late to cancel. It is a journey of discovery for both of them. Noah has found some mysterious photos whilst having a clear out, which lead to questions about what his mother did in France after she sent her son and husband to New York. The boy, Michael, is streetwise and tech savvy, and is difficult to handle, but he helps Noah with the search. Noah uncovers some facts about Victor, Michael's father, which changes his opinion of the family. He also uncovers the truth about his mother's activities in France during the war. The two unlikely souls gradually learn from each other and come to an acceptance.
This is well written and quite moving but I did find it slow going, repetitive and a little boring at times.

This book has it all, mystery,travel, culture, frustration, sadness and a intriguing dose of science.
Sympathetic characters who are poles apart start to understand each other in difficult circumstances. Noah settling for a peaceful life of widowhood and peace is suddenly presented with the care of his Great-Nephew, Noah is 80 and never had children so is on a steep learning curve. Micheal the nephew has a lot of issues, dead Father and Mother in prison, so his wild unruly behaviour and lack of respect shock Noah. Noah has planned a trip to Nice to discover more about his Mothers life, he and Micheal track down her history and jump to unsettling conclusions before finding the truth. A roller coaster of a book, brilliant, frustrating and a great insight into young and old lives.

I enjoyed Akin by Emma Donoghue. It was an easy read and a feel good novel. I did however feel that it lacked the depth and intensity of Room

Seventy nine year old Noah unexpectedly has the care of his unknown great nephew thrust upon him, just as he is traveling from the USA to Nice, France for the trip of a life time. Noah finds some photos amongst his dead sister's belongings which lead to him puzzling what his photographer mother actually did during the war in Resistance Nice. For me, the best bits of the book centre on the differences between Noah and Michael, and what they each learn from the other, though some of this is fairly predictable, as is their relationship by the end of the book.

A beautiful and meandering tale of Noah, about to hit his 80th birthday, and Michael, his great-nephew when the two are thrown together amidst a family crisis. Heading to France, they try to rub along while grappling with a war time mystery. The prose flows throughout the book and the character of Noah is one which will stay with me. I thought it could have done with an injection of pace and the number of indirect characters (mentioned in conversation by Noah) took a little time to place and get to grips with. A rounded up 3.5.

With thanks to #netgalley and #littlebrown for an advance copy of this book in consideration of an honest review. Posted on Goodreads and Twitter (and on Amazon post release)

Emma Donoghue writes beautifully, she pulls you into the worlds of her characters and her descriptions are so thorough and detailed that you can almost believe you have stood alongside the characters. I enjoyed the relationship development between Micheal and Noah, and the photo mystery was an added bonus to unfold as I read.

The blurb in this book sounded just up my street and having read Emma Donoghue before I was sure I would love it. Sadly it is so drawn out and slow. I struggled to relate to either Noel or Michael so couldn't get more than 50% of the book read in a week. I would normally race through a book this size in a day or 2 but couldn't.

Let us begin with how awesome the integration of the photos was. They could have all been in the beginning, or a plate section, or chucked at the end, but no… Their placement is instead a plot device and that’s just such a great detail. Though trying, as I definitely did go looking for them and could have cheated myself out of the reveal.
This one didn’t grab me in the same way that The Wonder did – I suppose that might be because I find an 79-year-old man and an 11-year-old boy less relatable, so fair enough. But, it was nevertheless thoughtful and engaging and I really liked the way the book wrapped up…
Noah, a retiree, ends up saddled with temporary guardianship of his great-nephew, Michael, right before he is scheduled to return to his birthplace, Nice, France, for the first time since pre-WWII. Once there, together they solve something of a family mystery – or two – and try not to kill each other in frustration along the way.
What the book does well is not romanticizing their relationship: these people are blood, but they are also strangers and neither are exactly easy to get on with. There are fights and snipes and Michael is an 11-year-old boy which is so annoying I could barely handle it (let alone add in his emotional baggage-backstory).
What I was less sold on were the mysteries and the deus ex machina answers that appear along the way. They weren’t all that clunky, but a few were. For me, the relationship core of the story was the most compelling part of the book and it was plenty successful to make anything else forgiveable.
My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the arc to review.

This book was a slog. Long and winding, it lacks any real action. At one point I counted 20% of the book with zero happening. I’m okay with that as long as character development is strong, but IMO the characters were weak (over simplified personalities) and the relationship between the two was predictable and therefore a bit dull. There was also only really two characters, with all dialogue happening between those two, which got a bit annoying. I’m really disappointed as I was a huge fan of Room, and this book just feels a bit safe in comparison. It started strong as well, with Donoghue making reference to the issues faced by women in prison and LAAC children, as well as the social workers who manage their cases. But alas, it got dull pretty quickly and at a certain point I gave up on the book and skipped ahead to read the ending. I must have skipped around 30% of the book, but it picked up as if I hadn’t missed anything.
I’ve read some bad books this year, but I think this takes the biscuit. I think this might be the last Donoghue I’ll read. Gutted.