Review: Marvelously quirky characters!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 13, 2011
I wasn't sure I was going to like this story when I started reading it. The whole situation seemed so far from my own life experience, and there were a couple of characters that I found a bit difficult to like as I started reading. But the story drew me in before I knew it, and I found myself turning the pages eagerly as I wanted to know how it all turned out.This tale of a mother who suddenly begin speaking again after 20 years of silence and the four daughters who love her but are also struggling with the impact of her mental illness and the years of absence. Each daughter has her own pain associated with her relationship with her mother, her life circumstances, and her relationships with the rest of the family, and each of them begins the process of healing and understanding during a day-long party to celebrate their mother's return to speaking as secrets are revealed, different versions of the same stories are brought forward to share, and old assumptions are re-evaluated.The chapters are told from the viewpoints of the various sisters, switching from one to another to allow us to really get inside the minds and hearts of each woman. By the end of the story, I had developed a deep compassion and understanding for each of them, even the one sister that I never fully grew to like. This is a story about how strong our family ties can be even when our family is not as we want them to be.All kinds of painful and difficult situations are dealt with in this story, and like real life, not every question is fully answered. However, the delight of getting to know this cast of characters and watching them deal with so much healing over the course of one day made this a wonderful read. Highly recommended!I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.