Review: A Fascinating Tale of Family Disintegration
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 8, 2012
Jeremy Francis has written a book that in many ways is difficult to describe briefly.  The story is somewhat confusing to read in that Francis' writing style changes from chapter to chapter.  Basically he is a fine descriptor of place and defines character types well, but at other times his writing tends to interject phiiosophy in conversations or reflections by the person involved in a passage that is both beautiful in verbiage but disconcerting in preventing the story to remain focused.  For example, the following passage falls as an aside in the description of a new relationship: ' At that moment and time, Frederickstein had never felt more enraptured. Existence as he knew it became ethereal as he temporarily transitioned forma world of woes to the comeliness of nirvana.' Others may not be bothered by such diversions but for this reader it seems an imposition of concepts that add little (and even detract) form the manner in which this story is being related.This is many ways is a New England mystery story that concerns a strange a grandmother's relationship to her grandson and the grandson's mother. It is a tale of the extremes of jealousy, mental instability, and the abusive effects that has on the main character, but for all those terrifying aspects of human behavior there are equal amounts of friendship that forms the real definition of `family'.On the pdf version this reviewer read the illustrations of Angelo Armbrister are not included and it is not known whether the entire book is illustrated or whether the very striking cover of the grandmother's face suffices.Jeremy Francis proves to be an imaginative novelist, and while it is not known if this is a first novel, THE SINS OF HIS GRANDMOTHER  has that feel. It is refreshingly unique in content and style and seeing where this author will take us will be illuminating.  Grady Harp, June 12