One of the best opening sentences to a novel that I have ever read and it is only seven words long. Gerald, the eighty-two-year-old patriarch of the Williams family, passed away. His funeral occupies the first chapter. The reader is introduced to character after character. Don’t get discouraged! It is a daunting task to remember characters, how they are related to Gerry and what their problems are. This reader suggests making yourself a character chart and use it! After a frustrating read of the first two chapters, I went back and made a chart. So glad I did! I referred to it many times.
Back to the funeral. Gerry’s long time best friend, Fred, gives the eulogy, and drops a bomb at the end of his speech. How does the family deal with Fred’s surprising bombshell. Every character has their own problems in this family, but they rely on each other. I laughed. I cried. I found myself wanting to give advice to some of the characters. I read an ARC of this book, so hopefully when it comes out, the publishers will have incorporated a family tree and a character list for readers. My thanks to Bookishfirst and Celadon Books for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.
Back to the funeral. Gerry’s long time best friend, Fred, gives the eulogy, and drops a bomb at the end of his speech. How does the family deal with Fred’s surprising bombshell. Every character has their own problems in this family, but they rely on each other. I laughed. I cried. I found myself wanting to give advice to some of the characters. I read an ARC of this book, so hopefully when it comes out, the publishers will have incorporated a family tree and a character list for readers. My thanks to Bookishfirst and Celadon Books for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.