BETWEEN A MOTHER AND HER CHILD (Elizabeth Noble)

Let's begin by saying that I didn't dislike this book, but it wasn't my favorite by this author.  I have read several other novels by Elizabeth Noble and I think she is a talented writer.  I especially enjoy her character development and the complexity of relationships among her characters.  It took me a long time to read this novel, perhaps because I have been busy with holiday preparations and work crises, so it left me with the feeling that the story had dragged a bit.  It was a bit long, also.

Maggie and Bill Barrett were devastated by the death of their son, Jake, in the Indonesian tsunami of 2004.  Jake, a talented, vibrant athlete and student, was traveling with his 2 best friends when the tragedy struck, leaving his parents, his younger sister, Ali, and his 10-year-old special needs brother, Stan, each coping with the loss in different ways.  As the story opens Maggie and Bill have been separated for about a year.  It is apparent that Bill has attempted to move on with his life, visiting Indonesia to claim his son's body, attending grief support groups, and finally moving out at Maggie's request.  Maggie is unable to move past her grief and get on with her life until she meets Kate, an older woman who moves in with Kate and her two children as a sort of companion and housekeeper.  Kate lost her much-loved husband fairly recently and seeks a family to love and to give her life new purpose. The circumstances of Maggie and Kate's situation are not quite believable.  Maggie's younger sister, visiting from Australia, answers Kate's ad seeking a place with a family and interviews her without Maggie's knowledge.  It is quite an unorthodox means of getting your sister out of her rut!

One of the things that IS very believable about this novel is the tone of the relationships among the characters: the love between the sisters,  the sadness and resulting alienation of the parents, the frustration of the daughter trying to live a life that has been denied to her beloved older brother. There are a lot of complex emotions here.  Although the situation is a bit strange, the ultimate resolutions are realistic and not sugar-coated.  Overall, worthwhile and memorable.