Summary:
Jules, her sister Joanne, and her brother Andrew all grew up in the same household―but their varying views of and reactions to their experiences growing up have made them all very different people. Now, as adults with children of their own, they are all faced with the question of what to do to help their parents, who insist on maintaining the upscale lifestyle they’re accustomed to despite their mounting debts. A deft exploration of the ever-shifting covenants between parents and children, Things Unsaid is a ferocious tale of family love, dysfunction, and sense of duty over forty years.
Review:
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This story was almost hard to digest, because it speaks of a family in such dysfunction that it is painstaking to read. But, that is exactly what makes this story so wonderful and different.
To tell a tale of a family that is always at its breaking point must have been hard to do; but, Diane Y. Paul gives them a very loud voice. While uncomfortable at times, I did enjoy this book. I almost had to put it down at the beginning because of the sheer amount of pain on each page, but I am glad I didn’t. I ended up reading the entire book, in just one sitting. I was completely enraptured with the story.
This is the story of Bob and Aida Whitman and their three children, and grandchildren. We learn how Bob and Aida meet, and how they raise their two daughters, Jules and Joanne and son, Andrew. And, then years later, we learn how these children figure out how to take care of their ailing parents.
Their eldest daughter, Jules was a hero to me. She tried to do everything right by her parents, even if they had not done the same for her. She was the entire family’s safety net. Losing herself along the way may have been enevitable.
Diane Y. Paul writes of a time in life that we will all encounter.
No matter what, losing our parents is never easy. Not even for the Whitman family. Even when walking away may have been the easiest thing to do.
This is a wonderfully engrossing read.
4.5 Stars.
Releasing on October 13th, 2015, you can grab it right here:
The Write Review 