Scan barcode
A review by nursenell
Family History by Dani Shapiro
4.0
After reading the author's memoir, which I did not like at all, I found this book very good. It's the story of a family in crisis and it begs the question, why do some happy, seemingly well adjusted children become severely disturbed during adolescence? I have known 2-3 families this has happened to and it tears the family apart.
Ned and Rachel are a happily married couple with 1 daughter Kate, who has always been the apple of her parents' eyes. She returns from summer camp a changed child, sullen and withdrawn, and increasingly very oppositional deviant. Meanwhile Rachel has become pregnant after several miscarriages and they have a second child. Kate seems to be reverting to the old, happy Kate during her mother's pregnancy but the change is short lived. Soon there is an accident while Kate is watching her baby brother, and then she makes allegations against her teacher father, causing him to be fired. Against their better judgement they agree to place Kate in a residential treatment facility but will they leave her there? Will she improve?
We never learn what happened at the summer camp, and I don't understand the author's reason for not revealing that. It would seem something happened. Ned and Rachel's love for each other is severely tested but in the end it survives but will Kate? We don't know, the reader is left to decide how the story ends because the author doesn't tell us.
Ned and Rachel are a happily married couple with 1 daughter Kate, who has always been the apple of her parents' eyes. She returns from summer camp a changed child, sullen and withdrawn, and increasingly very oppositional deviant. Meanwhile Rachel has become pregnant after several miscarriages and they have a second child. Kate seems to be reverting to the old, happy Kate during her mother's pregnancy but the change is short lived. Soon there is an accident while Kate is watching her baby brother, and then she makes allegations against her teacher father, causing him to be fired. Against their better judgement they agree to place Kate in a residential treatment facility but will they leave her there? Will she improve?
We never learn what happened at the summer camp, and I don't understand the author's reason for not revealing that. It would seem something happened. Ned and Rachel's love for each other is severely tested but in the end it survives but will Kate? We don't know, the reader is left to decide how the story ends because the author doesn't tell us.