Read as part Q of the “Along the Library
Shelf” reading journey
Chosen because
A good cover blurb; recent (2011) publication;
a female author (who are a bit under-represented to date); and I was 5 pages in
just standing at the book shelf (usually a good sign).
The Review
Mary Beth Latham is living the comfortable
suburban American dream with husband Glen, daughter Ruby and twin boys Alex and
Max. She’s worked hard at it, at the centre of the household, bringing the
family ship safely to the point where she can see the kids getting ready (extending
the metaphor) to man the lifeboats and move on.
It’s not been plain sailing (metaphor still
going strong) - they’ve had their share of problems – but Mary Beth worked them
out and will do the same now Max has troubles at school, Alex seems to disown
his twin and Ruby’s love life is unravelling.
Daily life, what it is like to be a mum in
such a family, is faultlessly described; and through Mary Beth we get to know
the family and friends to the point that we feel part of the circle ourselves.
However there is a sense of growing unease or foreboding, and there is a secret
in the past.
That something is coming to hit the Lathams
is clear (the cover blurb says as much) but what it will be keeps us guessing.
When it hits the impact is none the less for its long awaited inevitability.
Knowing the family intimately by then the emotional effect is strong and the
aftermath unexpectedly moving.
Quindlen’s style is intelligent and
articulate. Mary Beth relates the story in the first person and present tense,
so we are actually living her life in real time. This gives an intensity that
carries the reader easily through the 300 pages, despite long periods where
very little seems to happen.
Read another?
Probably not – at the back of this volume
are trails for another five books which all seem to involve a woman hit by a
crisis of some sort. I think one of these is enough to satisfy my inner woman
for a while.
No comments:
Post a Comment