Category: Fiction
Publisher: Mira Books
ISBN-13: 9780778325130
Pub. Date: March 2009
Date Read: April 2009
"We haven't had sex in eleven months. Just shy of a year. More time than it takes to grow a human being. I know it was eleven months ago for two reasons: one, it was on our wedding anniversary and on wedding anniversaries sex is a given and two, the next night was the incident with the family room light."
Stay-at-home mom, Samantha Friedman, once had a career and independence but through the years she feels that now all she is good for is carting the kids to school and running errands. Her marriage to Bob has become stale. The two drifiting apart with him consumed by work and Sam by the children's needs. But what about her needs as a woman, as an individual? Where are her dreams?
Through alternating chapters Sam's story unfolds as she recounts her struggles with infertility and how she came to adopt her daughter, Cammy, and only later to find herself pregnant with twin boys. And, of course how slowly her marriage has deteriorated. At the same time Cammy, the seventeen year old who is into dressing all in black, is finding solace in the world of drugs and sex. She's sure that her parents don't want her and feels that maybe she should find her real mother.
While Cammy escapes her life by indulging in risky behavior, Sam is also beginning to find comfort in someone else. What started off as small talk on the train is turning into a series of secret coffee dates and emails. Is she ready for more?
The two main characters are confused, in pain and feel all alone. While the father is involved as far as being the main provider, he is so out of touch with Sam and Cammy's lives. I believe he was probably also not feeling fully realized in his marriage but yet he chose to close himself off and distance himself from his family.
This was a compelling story with believable characters that can't help but make you wonder about how many people must feel like they are sleepwalking through life. The conclusion is one you won't likely forget making this a great read which would also be perfect for a book discussion.