The Perfect Family by Kathryn Shay

The Perfect Family
by Kathryn Shay
Bold Stroke Books 2010
ISBN-13: 978-1602821811

Have you ever had a crisis in your life that challenged everything you believed in? How did you react? Did you find your guidance within yourself? From your religion, faith, friends, family, or someplace else?

I am a writer not a psychologist. Nonetheless, I recall being advised once upon a time that most of us find our bearings from the world around us. If there is crisis, we look for a strong figure to point the way to safety. Others of us find our bearings from within, so that the chaos around us is lost in the focus from within.

Of course, we all have crises in our life. That is the nature of life. Happiness is a wonderful state, which we appreciate because of the crisis that periodically rolls up on our shores.

Would you like to evaluate how you might react to crises all around you?

What if your parents essentially rejected your sister, and you, for their religious beliefs? What if your children exploded in an unexpected revelation? What if most of your friends deserted you? And your husband violently disagreed with your feelings? And he sought solace in another’s arms, as you might as well? How would you react?

In The Perfect Family, Maggie experiences all of these crises. Her youngest son announces that he is gay as a high school student. And then all chaos breaks lose in her life.

As the walls come crumbling around her, she has her bearings. A sister declared dead by her parents (because she married a divorced man) comes back into her life. The gay son needs her, as does the straight son. Does she choose gay son over straight son, gay son over husband? What would you do.

The Perfect Family is a wonderful read. Kathryn Shay has the ability to create characters that seem like neighbors. People I know and understand. As I read this finely crafted story, I suspected that I was living part of the author’s life. She says not, but I felt like I was right there. I wondered how I would react to each of those events.

I’ve had my share of crisis in my life. Reading this story brought back memories of those crises. I measured my own response against Maggie’s.

I respect Maggie. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her travails.

Read this book! Then compare how you handle crisis in your life to how Maggie does in hers. And when you are done, please post your thoughts. Maybe we should have a review party where you express how you feel about your life vs. The Perfect Family. How’s that for a challenge?

Warms, Cym

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