A Gate at the Stairs
Tassie Keltjin is a college student who has led a fairly sheltered life. She grew up on a farm so never really held a real job, but now she needs to earn a little money and accepts a position as a nanny. Strangely, she is hired before the child, to be adopted, has arrived. Against her better judgement she becomes involved in the adoption process and quickly learns about the seedier side of life. Giving her heart to this little girl and then to her mysterious boyfriend Reynaldo she learns that it is possible to get that heart broken. When one is sad and feeling alone the only place to turn is home. Sadly, instead of being a haven in which to heal, home offers only more heartbreak for Tassie.The first half of this book grabbed my interest immediately. The story captivates as Ms. Moore weaves in issues of adoption, teenage pregnancy, class and race issues. Towards the middle of this book Tassie’s life takes a dramatic turn (I won’t specify because I do not want to include a “spoiler alert”). Tassie’s story continues on in a totally different direction. I was surprised and then very quickly disappointed. I wanted to know what happened after the event and it was never alluded to again. I finished the book with the hope that there would be another small mention to satisfy my curiosity, but alas, it never came. I was left hanging in a most unpleasant manner and itt spoiled the whole book for me.
