Heather's Pick
“I believe it's been at least 20 years since I picked this novel by Mary Lawson. It was at the time her first novel and I recall her telling me she had worked on it over 5 years. The book is stunning. It tells the story of four siblings who lose their parents in a horrid car accident. Left on their own with little resource, and with the oldest only in his teens, they fight to stay together as a family unit. The relationship between the siblings is beautifully crafted and especially the connection between Matt Morrison and his younger sister Kate who is the protagonist in the story and whose life we follow well into adulthood. It is a story of family bonds, sacrifice, and the tension between ambition and duty. But mostly it is a story which subtly but powerfully helps us to understand the risks and costs of foisting on our own ambitions on those we love.”
