This novel
has the meaning of ‘family’ as its premise: can we choose our family or is
blood really thicker than water?
Christine Blacksworth- a driven,
hardworking twenty-something is flying high in her corporate job in the family
business. Her world is turned upside down by the sudden death of her father
Charlie in a road accident at his small cabin in the Catskill Mountains; some
700 miles from the family home in Chicago.
Charlie spent four days a month there, taking a well earned break from running
the Blacksworth Corporation. Or so the Blacksworths thought.
When
Charlie’s will is read, a part has been left to a Lily Desantro. Confused and
horrified, Christine decides to go over to the Catskills herself to meet this Lily.
It transpires that four days a month, Charlie was living with another woman,
Miriam, and together, they had a thirteen year old daughter, Lily.
As
Christine starts to piece her father’s other life together, she gradually
builds up a relationship with both Miriam and Lily, who has Down’s syndrome.
She begins to understand how much her father loved them: Charlie was a good but
weak man who was torn between his two families and by trying to do right by
both, ended up doing right by neither.
Christine
believes she has really ‘found’ herself with the Desantros. But there are two
flies in the ointment. One is Nate, Miriam’s son who hated Charlie and what he
did and transfers his hostility to Christine. The other is Christine’s
alcoholic, pain-killer addicted mother, who has no idea of the Desantros’
existence, or where Christine is now going regularly. Or does she?
There are
no huge surprises in this novel. It’s more a case of how things are going to
pan out rather than what is going to happen. But it’s a good story with some
really loveable characters (Lily and Christine’s roguish Uncle Harry). It poses
some interesting questions about families, honour and legitimacy. The
burgeoning romance between Christine and Nate was a bit obvious and I found
myself more interested in Harry and housekeeper Greta. Nevertheless, I would
recommend the book.
Read this
if you like an interesting take on your family sagas.
