4.5ish stars, rounded. A Nearly Normal Family was a captivating story about how far parents will go to protect their child. Set around the arrest and trial of daughter Stella, charged with the stabbing death of a man her parents weren't even aware she knew, there's elements of books like Defending Jacob and Jodi Picoult's courtroom focused dramas.
The author's choice to make the father a pastor and the mother a lawyer really was the tipping point to making this story fantastic. With professions that mean they should see right and wrong as black and white, the choices these parents have to make in the name of protecting their daughter seem to have even higher costs. They aren't just choosing what's right for their family, they have to weigh the morality of their choices with deeply held beliefs. Fascinating- right up through the last page.
The author's choice to make the father a pastor and the mother a lawyer really was the tipping point to making this story fantastic. With professions that mean they should see right and wrong as black and white, the choices these parents have to make in the name of protecting their daughter seem to have even higher costs. They aren't just choosing what's right for their family, they have to weigh the morality of their choices with deeply held beliefs. Fascinating- right up through the last page.