"'The same way most things change. So slowly you don't know it's happening.' She smiles wide and passes me the picture...'Life is just a series of small choices, and you can only see the one in front of you, but it leads you to the next and the next. Eventually you've ended up somewhere you don't even recognize.'"
In this paragraph in her Some Mistakes Were Made Kristen Dwyer neatly sums up the gist of the book. For the most part the narrative revolves around the small incremental decisions of the characters and the reactions of those around them, just like our lives so often do.
Ellis has the kind of home life that might have you wondering where Children's Protective Services were. Her father is in and out of prison. Her mother takes off for long stretches of time. Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase home alone. In contrast, Easton and his brothers live a charmed life with highly engaged parents. Their mother, Sandry, is especially protective of her boys. When Ellis is drawn into their fold it's no wonder she prefers their home to hers--especially because she and Easton become so close...
...but when you first meet Ellis she's thousands of miles away from home, graduating from a California high school. She's been forced to go away for her senior year by Sandry after some pretty bad decisions on her part. She's pretty much relegated that family to her past...
...when they invite, actually pretty much demand that she come home to help prepare for Sandry's gala fiftyth birthday party. She goes even though she's not sure she really wants to.
Dwyer makes great use of alternating time-lines to gradually reveal both the choices on Ellis' part that led Sandry to send her away and the attempts at reconciliation and their consequences on her return. For readers who prefer narratives centered on the relationships of well meaning but far from perfect people it is a most excellent choice for a read.
On a purrrsonal note, I had a most excellent Wednesday. A Christian organization on campus was having a clothes giveaway. I scored a top and 2 perfect fit pairs of jeans, one with 4 side pockets. At Orono Thrift I scored an awesome banned books tee 👕 , a book, a fancy hair ornament, and a critter. In the afternoon I was paparazzi for fondue and friends at the Wade Center on campus. The fondue was great. I let myself drizzle a little chocolate over strawberries 🍓 😋. First chocolate in months. There were beads so I made a necklace. So much fun.
A great big shout out goes out to all the people who created the events.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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