Published by The Story Plant
ISBN 9781611880199
At the request of The Story Plant, Spread The Word Initiative, an ARC EPub Edition was sent via NetGalley, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis (borrowed from NetGalley): Emily Sue delivers us a deeply moving story of a family on the brink. Dan and Deede Stowe have worked for years, planning and saving for their idyllic retirement years. Just when they finally are about to realize their dream, their adult, recovering drug-addict daughter, Faith, moves back in with them and everything changes. Their “miracle child,” complete with druggie baggage, upsets the tranquil balance of the Stowes's existence. Private romantic moments evaporate. Faith’s endless needs intrude hour by hour, devouring their finances, their emotions, and most crucially, their space. In turn, Faith finds herself bereft of everything she cherished most: her health, her marriage, her child, her family, her reputation and, most of all, a space to call her own.
Amid chaotic challenges, all three battle to find peace with each other, a harmony that doggedly eludes them. For the sake of family solidarity, each is forced to sacrifice elemental components of self, until desperation turns them one against the other. Will love be enough to turn the tide? Is it strong enough to warm again hearts grown cold?
My Thoughts and Opinion: I enjoy reading novels where there are relationship dynamics as the core of the story. The characters in this book came to life through the words of the author, Emily Sue Harvey, and there were quite a few interwoven personalities within both the immediate and extended family of the Stowes. I was also interested, after reading the synopsis, of the premise of what happens behind closed doors when a family member is overtaken by drugs, which is so prevalent in today's society and the fracture of a family these drugs cause.
Here is where I am torn and confused about this book, which I honestly don't quite understand. And this is my opinion and my opinion only. The book held my attention throughout. However, I felt there was so much missing in the story. It wasn't until almost the end of the novel when the reader finds out what drug Faith is using. It doesn't describe the reality of true drug addiction, in my opinion. But it focused more on her nicotine addiction. I understood the underlying message of "needing one's space" and as the synopsis states but I felt that some issues that would have made it more realistic were glossed over. Examples like the loss of her parental rights were not touched upon until almost the end of the book.
Because it did hold my attention, but it also left me disappointed as far as the overall story line, I find myself having much difficulty rating it.
DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold...they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
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