Description
Book SynopsisAn Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller. New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde brings heartwarming authenticity to the story of two strangers who find that kindness is a powerful antidote to fear. Raymond Jaffe feels like he doesn’t belong. Not with his mother’s new family. Not as a weekend guest with his father and his father’s wife. Not at school, where he’s an outcast. After his best friend moves away, Raymond has only two real connections: to the feral cat he’s tamed and to a blind ninety-two-year-old woman in his building who’s introduced herself with a curious question: Have you seen Luis Velez? Mildred Gutermann, a German Jew who narrowly escaped the Holocaust, has been alone since her caretaker disappeared. She turns to Raymond for help, and as he tries to track Luis down, a deep and unexpected friendship blossoms between the two. Despondent at the loss of Luis, Mildred isolates herself further from a neighborhood devolving into bigotry and fear. Determined not to let her give up, Raymond helps her see that for every terrible act the world delivers, there is a mirror image of deep kindness, and Mildred helps Raymond see that there’s hope if you have someone to hold on to.
Trade Review“A master of making a heartwarming tale feel authentic and socially urgent, Hyde (Just After Midnight, 2018, etc.) deftly sketches the plights of Raymond and Millie, weighting their friendship with worries and regrets that echo as true…A tender tale of new families born of chance and the determination to bring light into darkness.” —Kirkus Reviews “Hyde (Heaven Adjacent, 2018) has crafted a spellbinding coming-of-age story deepened by the satisfaction of belonging, the vibrancy of community, and the power of connection. Fans of Liane Moriarty and Kristin Hannah will adore the deep connection between the unlikeliest of friends.” —Booklist “Heartwarming…This touching portrait of Raymond’s sorrow, and his quest for understanding the world and why it seems so unfair, is a solid choice for book groups with a lot of important issues to discuss.” —Library Journal “A deftly crafted novel with an underlying message about the power of simple kindness, Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde is a thoroughly engaging read from first page to last.” —Midwest Book Review
