Families can be complicated--especially when you're going beyond the nuclear to take in grands, in-laws, and aunts and uncles. I never had that experience growing up. Except for very rarely seeing my Uncle Ken and his clan the fam was strictly 2 adults, 2 kids. I was in high school before I learned what in-laws were. When I married Eugene the biggest adjustment was joining a clan with a large and growing family tree. I wasn't sure how or even if I fit in.
The complexities and conflicts of extended family lie at the heart of Nancy Thayer's Family Reunion. It's centered on a grandmother, Eleanor, and a granddaughter, Ari, who are spend an unforgettable summer together.
When Eleanor brings her family together to celebrate her seventeenth birthday she has decidedly mixed feelings.
"They were all coming. Her son, her daughter and son-in-law, her granddaughter. For a moment, she was breathless. Also slightly unsettled. When the family was here for Christmas, Alicia constantly batted away at Eleanor like a cat with a toy mouse, trying to make Eleanor agree to sell the house.
This house."
The house is the magnificent but needing a lot of repairs summer home that has been the family's forever. Eleanor and her mother had been cradle babies there. Eleanor had become a year round resident after her husband died. She loves the house with it's history, familiarity, and prime ocean views.
Her daughter, Alicia, is intent on her mother moving to a nice assisted living community even though Eleanor is quite healthy and capable. She thinks her current situation is unsafe. She also very much covets her share of the money from the sale.
Ari has just graduated from college. She has also broken off her engagement just months before her intended marriage. Her very materialistic mother, Alicia of course, is furious at her for turning down such a prime catch.
"As worried as she was, Ari was also angry. Did her mother expect her to marry a man she didn't love? And her mother was ashamed of her...
Too bad Peter (ex fiance) couldn't marry Ari's mom. They'd make a perfect match."
Ari decides to spend the summer between college and graduate school with Eleanor and her cat, Shadow, to get a break and a job. She becomes a counselor at a day camp for kids whose parents have to work and would otherwise have to leave them home alone. She and Eleanor really enjoy living together...
...but these unexpected challenges keep popping up. Ari finds out that she should have been more careful with birth control just as she's entering a really good relationship. Evidence of her father's infidelity turns up...
...and there's still the ongoing battle about the house and Eleanor's future.
Fans of family centered adult realistic fiction will find a real treasure in Family Reunion.
On a purrrsonal note, yesterday and today I ran the canteen for the UMaine Red Cross Blood Drive. It was one of our best. I think between the two days we got 125 units. Noone fainted. People really enjoyed their time in the canteen. And donors and volunteers created a huge Valentines Card for the Red Cross nurses. Today I also spent 2 hours making the rounds of the big career fair. The career center always wants me to. I enjoyed talking to the company reps. And I collected two huge bags of free merch. Someone wants to give me really cool stuff I'm not gonna say no unless I have ethical issues with their company. But with those heavy bags and my heavy backpack 🎒 I was struggling to cross campus. Suddenly a boy was offering to help me. He took my bags and backpack 🎒 and walked me all the way to the Blood drive.
A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in the Blood drive and the career fair and my knight in shiny denim, the very kind boy who escorted me across campus.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
