CREATING FAMILIES — FLAWS AND JOYS

In Portland, Oregon, the (fictional) Chosen Child adoption agency operates with a specific mission in mind: families can be created. To the social workers who work there, including Chloe Pinter who directs the domestic adoption program, the mission is one that almost supersedes everything else in their lives. Their hours are unpredictable, interrupting many moments of personal interaction. Chloe’s relationship with her fiancé Dan is precarious at times because of the demands of the job.

But Chloe forges ahead, connecting birth parents to adoptive ones with a zeal that seemingly consumes her.

In this tale about creating families, the alternating chapters focus on individual characters, from Chloe, to individual birth parents, and to a couple that once tried to adopt, but now has a birth child.

Each exploration reveals the emotional drains as well as the eager anticipation of each character, whether that character is one waiting for an adoptive child or is a birth parent struggling with the pain of giving up a child. We come to empathize with the pain, the struggles, and finally the joy that comes when everyone achieves his/her goal.

But the story does not end with the “chosen family” riding off into the sunset. We also see the regrets of the birth parents, the struggles of new parenthood for the adoptive ones, and even a case of postpartum depression that almost leads to disaster.

Hoffman’s portrayal of the birth/adoption process was realistic, delving into the flaws of all the characters with sensitivity. Social workers, as well as birth parents, are human and subject to errors in judgment. These insights added depth to Chosen: A Novel, which resulted in a five-star review from this reader.

HAUNTINGLY COMPLEX & DISCONCERTING

This compelling new novel from Jennifer Egan paints visual images for the reader, scanning the lives of musicians and assistants, from the past to the present; she also gives us glimpses of the future as we follow along in the moments.

Bennie Salazar and Sasha are the centerpiece characters in this tale.  Their lives in the music business carry them from San Francisco, to Naples, and to New York; the time period shifts from the 1970s to the present day or possibly some time in the future.  At the conclusion, the actual time period seems unclear.

We see how the lives of these artists can spin out of control, as exemplified by one Scotty, who is talented and gifted and, in the end, has almost completely slipped off the grid.  He is totally a member of the “goon squad.”

Throughout A Visit from the Goon Squad, I felt a kind of disorientation…the constant shifting of perspectives was disconcerting at times.  First person narrative, third person point of view; it took constant alertness and readjusting of my own perspective to stay attuned to what was happening.

Sometimes I would think…now who is this person?  And then it would slowly become clear.   Like the character Alex, in a moment when he is remembering bits and pieces of past events, expressed in this way:

“Alex looked up at the building, sooty against the lavender sky, and experienced a hot-cold flash of recognition, a shiver of déjà vu, as if he were returning to a place that no longer existed….”

This book made me think of real-life connections, and how our lives intersect with many people in this journey; sometimes, just when we’ve forgotten them, something will recall them for us.

It was sometimes difficult to read this book, which was compelling and haunting and a bit disturbing.  There was one section in the book that was filled with word diagrams instead of regular prose…several pages of them.  I found this style to be disruptive, and because of this aspect of the book, I am deducting one star.

Nevertheless, a four star read is a book that I recommend, especially for fans of Egan.

THE ADDICTIONS THAT DEFORM US

Stella is leading a life of empty promise in New York City, occasionally checking on her fragile grandmother Lucy, who lives in Connecticut. But then, when Lucy begins the process of dying, she starts talking about Matilda, her long-estranged daughter…A second daughter that Stella didn’t even know about.

So after Lucy’s death, Stella finds out more from her mother Dora, and discovers the troubled history of Matilda (Tilly). She decides to go to Nevada, where Tilly now resides, and try to help her out. She wants to at least connect with her.

We gradually watch the bond develop between the two, when Stella moves Tilly to San Francisco to reconnect with her son Abe. Their lives seem to be back on track.

But like most addictions, the one that controls Tilly cannot be held at bay, and the life she is building begins to unravel.

The story unfolds in shifting perspectives, and alternate versions of each woman are revealed.

What happens then to create an extra layer of tension? And what further developments lead to a tragic outcome?

This story seemed to be a cautionary tale of all the dire consequences one can imagine. I felt depressed a good deal of the time as I read it, and by the time the story ended, I was glad it did.

Perhaps I would have enjoyed this book more if I were in a different place in my own life. But instead, I found the characters unappealing, and the ending of the story just happened…it seemingly fizzled out.

To its credit, though, there were important lessons to be told, and the process of addiction was accurately portrayed, and for those reasons, I did give The Gin Closet four stars.

AN UNTENABLE TRIANGLE

Tessa and Valerie seemingly have nothing in common. Tessa is a stay-at-home mother of two children and the wife of Nick Russo, a renowned pediatric surgeon. Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie—a boy who has never known his father.

The paths of these characters cross unexpectedly when a tragic accident brings Charlie to Dr. Russo’s care. And in the process of caring for the severely burned child, Nick finds himself drawn to the needs of this little boy and his mother.

Told in alternate chapters, the stories of Valerie and Tessa and the untenable triangle in which they become engaged, with Nick, brings up issues of love, loyalty, and betrayal and ultimately changes all their lives.

These characters could have been presented in the clichéd “other woman” scenario, but as we come to know each of the players, we soon learn that nobody is evil here and there is something each of them must learn in order to ultimately discover what is truly at the “heart of the matter.”

In many ways, the characters of Valerie and Tessa could almost be interchangeable, despite their surface differences. They each are seeking love and family, and hoping against hope for the happiness we all long for.

Nick could have been portrayed as a cad, but instead, we find him appealing as he struggles to do right by his family as well as Charlie and Valerie’s family.

In the end, choices and decisions have to be made and a learning process must happen. Learning to forgive, to trust, and to move forward will determine the outcome of each of their lives.

I must award Heart of the Matter five stars.

YES, YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN…

This book is part of a wonderfully cozy series by the author Adriana Trigiani. My very first one was Big Stone Gap: A Novel (Ballantine Reader’s Circle), so naturally, when I saw this one in the library, I had to have it.

In the story, Ave Maria Mulligan MacChesney is twenty years older than she was in the last one. Her daughter Etta is grown, she has lost one of her children in early childhood, and she is dealing with all kinds of losses.

Her daughter is living in Italy, which is too far away, as far as Ave Maria is concerned. Her husband is exploring work that she finds repugnant. And then, suddenly, he is faced with health issues.

Meanwhile, her best friend Iva Lou has been keeping a big secret for all the time they’ve known each other—and before—so finding this out causes Ave Maria to question everything about the friendship.

Then, a mysterious person appears…

Just as you might expect, this story, which plunks us right down in the middle of the beautiful Big Stone Gap setting, brings up painful issues that could seemingly threaten the very world of these wonderful characters.

I loved Home to Big Stone Gap: A Novel (Big Stone Gap Novels) just as much as the first book and I’m definitely going to be adding more books to my list. Five stars!

GREED, LUST, & MISUNDERSTANDINGS

Violet Parry and Sally Parry have little in common, except that Violet is married to David Parry and Sally is his sister. The two are at odds through most of the story, each misunderstanding the other and resenting aspects about each other.

Violet seemingly has it all. A gorgeous house in the hills above LA; a full-time nanny; and money enough to buy almost everything she desires. So why is she so unhappy, disgruntled, and vulnerable to Teddy Reyes, the somewhat seedy musician who gives her a bit of attention? Is it, perhaps, because her husband is so focused on giving her everything that he doesn’t really notice her? Or that he only wants her to listen to him, but fails to reciprocate?

What woman wouldn’t feel neglected, since women mostly want to be understood? However, for whatever reasons, Violet is unable or unwilling to express her needs.

Then we have Sally, whose story alternates with Violet’s…She just wants a lot of the same things that Violet already has. A rich husband and enough money, since she’s plagued by credit card debt. She is also diabetic, a bit neurotic, and extremely demanding, but hey, what guy wouldn’t want her? She manipulates constantly to achieve her goals.

David, caught in the middle, seems totally clueless and feels misunderstood and unappreciated. Then, for whatever reason, he seems to get a clue and does an about-face, even though he has discovered his wife’s affair. For someone so successful, he seems to have few people skills. Or maybe it’s just women he doesn’t get.

What I most enjoyed about This One Is Mine: A Novel were the rich details that painted the LA lifestyle in such a way that I could visualize it. I could picture the homes, the clothes, and especially the characters. I liked that none of the characters were picture-perfect. Violet was still a tad overweight from the pregnancy; Sally was thin and could have been attractive, but her personality rendered her tense and almost fake; and Teddy—well, he is portrayed as someone scuzzy and a little bit unclean, which is how I viewed his character.

I also liked the part in which Violet and Sally actually begin to talk to one another and clear up some major misunderstandings they have.

I didn’t really buy David’s turnabout, and found it a bit unbelievable, but it did bring the story to a tidy conclusion.

This is a book for those who enjoy LA stories, or stories about what is going on behind the perfect façade that cloaks the rich and famous. I would give it a 4.5, deducting a bit for how the story ended.

A FAMILY JOURNEY

This book is a fictional chronicle of one family’s struggle—to discover what is causing son Edward’s strange withdrawal that began at the age of four, and what, if anything, can be done to correct/cure his problems.

Throughout the story, narrated in the first person by the mother, Rachel, we peek into their world, from their courtship and unusual beginnings as a couple, followed by their almost perfect life as a young family until one day when their world turned upside down.

We accompany them to doctor’s visits; we see them through the eyes of strangers who look askance at them and at their son; we share a bit of their loneliness and isolation as their world becomes increasingly smaller, until finally, there is nothing left except the day-to-day coping.

Interspersed with this narrative are the chapters that flash back to the past and to various family members, some of whom also exhibited “odd” behaviors.

In their search for answers, they even peruse old letters between an Uncle Mickey and his sister, always hoping to find a clue.

How one family’s focus on one child’s troubles and elusive diagnosis completely shapes and alters their lives forever is the ultimate story here.

Longing for solutions and answers, I kept plodding along, fascinated by this family’s persistence and courage—and then at the end, I was surprised by the inevitable conclusion.

A Wild Ride Up the Cupboards: A Novel is an unforgettable story that gives new meaning to the word “cope.” Five stars.

ALWAYS AUDITIONING

Barbara Walters’ memoir encompasses her more than forty years of television journalism interviewing heads of state, world leaders, movie stars, criminals, murderers, inspirational figures, and celebrities of all kinds. Finally she turns her gift for examination onto herself to reveal the forces that shaped her extraordinary life.

We learn about her childhood with a father whose love of show business first brought the glamour and risk-taking of that life into her world and a mother, supportive, but often frustrated by the numerous times the family had to uproot in order to follow his dreams. We share her pain as she describes what it was like growing up with a mentally disabled sister whom she loved, but with whom she could share very little as they grew older. Despite her own ambitions, Ms. Walters made sure that her family was cared for during the lean times.

Her love affairs, her marriages, her child—we find out about each event in her life as she tells us in an anecdotal way, almost as if we’re having a conversation.

That is what I most enjoyed about this book…the feeling that I, as the reader, had somehow been granted admission into her living room or dining room while she described in detail the numerous aspects of her life. Her efforts to achieve recognition in a journalistic world that often overlooked women; the competitive moments; her occasional mistakes along the way—all shared with candor, humor, and insight. Her awesome and inspiring climb to a success that has included not only the famous interviews, but the numerous shows she has hosted, from the Today show, 20/20, the Specials…and now The View.

I must admit that the political aspects of the memoir were less-fascinating to me than the celebrity features, but it was clear that she is knowledgeable and that she very diligently did her homework for each and every assignment. And obviously she has kept impeccable records over the years to be able to recount all these moments with such detail.

A most admirable and extraordinary tome, Audition (Vintage), by its very name, sums up an aspect of the author that, perhaps, can shed light on this unique individual. In her own words, she talks about having to “audition” constantly, in the sense that she had to stand out and shine in order to achieve her goals. She had to be better than the best in a highly competitive world, and she excelled.

If I could, I would give this book ten stars, but I will settle for five.

REBUILDING A DREAM

A young woman, Cilla McGowan, former child actress, whose mother is a star and whose grandmother was a legendary star, returns to her deceased grandmother’s farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia—dubbed Little Farm by its original owner. She has big plans. Not only will she be renovating the home, restoring it to its former glory, but she will bring her own special vision to this house that will, finally, be home for her.

After her child star days, Cilla found her own niche rehabbing and flipping houses. Her renovations of Little Farm will be the first time she’ll be keeping what she renovates.

But she has barely launched her project when several unexpected things happen. First, she meets her drop-dead-gorgeous neighbor, Ford Sawyer, who writes and illustrates his own graphic novels. Then she discovers a box of secret unsigned letters to her grandmother, Janet Hardy, from a married lover. Next, an unpleasant and frightening series of events, from vandalism to outright threats, begins to cast a troubling pall over her dreams and her vision.

As we follow Cilla’s progress in her rehab, we begin to search for clues as to who is frightening Cilla. When one of the enemies is identified and taken into custody, the frightening events continue, suggesting an additional perpetrator. As Ford and Cilla search for answers, the reader begins to piece together a few tidbits that just might lead to the identity of the vengeful one.

What is the significance of a lipstick pink couch with white satin pillows? And what unlikely person, close to Cilla and Ford, could have the most to gain by attacking her?

Tribute is a wonderful blend of romance, family legends, mystery, and lots of house rehabbing details. I loved this book and would like to read a sequel. Five stars at least!

WHAT YOU FIND AFTER YOUR WORLD FALLS APART…

When your whole world turns upside down with three little words, you’d think that nothing else can affect you so deeply. But after her cancer diagnosis, Natalie Miller’s boyfriend Ned is out the door so quickly, it’s almost as if he wasn’t ever there. Plus, her high-powered job with a senator is “on hold” while she recovers, and then over the months that follow, with the ravages of chemotherapy and all the accompanying side effects to being ill, Natalie begins to look at everything in her life with new eyes.

Writing in a diary, something suggested by her therapist, she begins to look below the surface and reexamine all of her relationships, as well as many of the choices she’s made.

Rediscovering what remains after—it’s all kind of like going to a Lost and Found Department to scrounge through the assorted items and picking out long-forgotten treasures and tossing aside things that weren’t really important after all.

What I loved most about The Department of Lost & Found was the first-person voice of Natalie, who is brave, funny, persistent, and willing to really look at herself. Finding herself after cancer is a journey that offers unexpected rewards along the way.

This one definitely earned five stars.