We've all faced difficult times. For suburban mother and part-time magazine editor Alice Pearse, everything seems to be falling apart at once. He attorney husband decides to leave his prestigious law firm and strike out on his own, burning his bridges behind him and soothing himself with alcohol. Her beloved father suffers a recurrence of the throat cancer that robbed him of his voice ten years before. Alice accepts what sounds like a dream job to shore up the family finances while her husband builds his new law practice, but her dream gradually turns into a nightmare of juggling family obligations, work responsibilities, and some questionable ethical issues. Soon Alice is exhausted and missing her role as hands-on mother.
This isn't traditional "chick lit." There are no shopping emergencies or blossoming romances. A Window Opens is about a woman in danger of losing sight of what's really important in life while she struggles to be everything to everyone. I don't mean to sound like this novel is depressing, either. It's a wonderful story about human beings dealing with what life dishes out, supporting each other in good times and bad, maintaining friendships, doing what's right, and recognizing that love is the most important component in a life well lived.
Just one more note: I'm wondering if the name of the main character, Alice Pearse, is a subtle homage to Allison Pearson, the author of I Don't Know How She Does It, another excellent novel about the problems and pitfalls of working motherhood?
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