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Chiara’s husband Ryan is handsome, charming, and a great father. At least that’s what people see. But in the house, he’s terrifyingly judgmental and controlling—no physical abuse but scary as all get-out. Now she’s pregnant with her third child and needs to flee but has no place to go and no money. She and the kids end up in a hotel room through a welfare placement and it’s catch as catch can. Next door Clara, a loud, crude single mother, offers considerable aid and comfort. Meanwhile Ryan’s rich, nasty family is throwing money at a protracted custody battle. Chiara finds her feet (whew) but what a struggle. Set in Dublin, vivid.
Jules, 28, isn’t exactly happy in her small NYC apartment but makes do with an online job and entertainment via the internet. Especially the Mormon “mommies” who post about their fervid subservient devotion to their husbands and the Lord. But when her younger sister Poppy shows up intending to stay, everything lurches into unmanageability. Poppy has annoying quirks as well as many ailments including suicidal ideation. Back in Florida, their mother embraced a pyramid scheme involving essential oils and their plastic surgeon father just wants to make his daughters prettier. This is actually a very funny book, and I haven’t even gotten to the three-legged rescue pooch named Amy Klobuchar. Plus, the sisters really love each other despite.
Subtitled: The New Memoirist and the Courage to Create. There was a Big Secret in Altman’s family. When she wrote about it, she was excommunicated. This book offers guidance for every writer—and other creatives—to explore, grapple with, and overcome the shame that can cripple a story that needs to be told. It’s a thorny, complex subject with issues of intent and boundaries. Packed with vivid personal tales and wisdom from many other writers and sages, Altman provides clear-eyed encouragement, gleaned from a life-long struggle and years of teaching writing workshops. As a storyteller, I found insights that will help me sort out tricky material. As a reader, I reveled in the author’s candor, transparency, and spirit.
In London, Teo's single life seems set. He sees old friends in the suburbs periodically. One is Lia, whom he still loves but she's always just thought of him as a good friend. She asks him to babysit for her small son, Joel, overnight, then doesn't return--it's suicide. He ends up looking after the kid, nothing he ever planned, and that breathes new life into his old father, Victor, who's struggling with Parkinson's. Teo checks in on Victor often, bringing Joel along.) Who's the bio dad? Feckless Ben—nothing he ever planned either. Joel's fate dangles as each man faces what to take on. A progressive rabbi, Sibyl, offers some comfort and guidance, but she's facing her own stresses. Love flickers throughout the book, like the sun pushing through lowering clouds. Very moving.
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