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A review by msethna
A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein
4.0
October Book Club Choice - How far would you go to protect your child and make sure they make all the proper choices in his/her life? Would you ever let them fail? In this story, the main character, Pete, is obsessed with protecting his son and does whatever he can to make sure he follows the "right" path - spending time with the "right" people, attending a "proper" college, chosing a "dignified" profession. As Pete pushes harder, his son, Alec, rebels and pushes farther away. Pete is so entrenched in his son's life, that he doesn't realize how he has destroyed his own.
While this is not a book I would have picked up on my own accord, it made me stop and think A LOT while I was reading it. Am I "that" parent? Do I give my children space to be creative and make mistakes in a safe environment? This book was not perfect by any stretch, and there were several parts where I had to stop and figure out if it was a flashback to Pete's earlier life. I did get confused often, but I am glad I stuck with it and finished it. It was worth it.
While this is not a book I would have picked up on my own accord, it made me stop and think A LOT while I was reading it. Am I "that" parent? Do I give my children space to be creative and make mistakes in a safe environment? This book was not perfect by any stretch, and there were several parts where I had to stop and figure out if it was a flashback to Pete's earlier life. I did get confused often, but I am glad I stuck with it and finished it. It was worth it.