This story about an exceptionally dysfunctional family draws you in from the very beginning. The story opens when teenager Marley moves into the small town of Mercury with her mother, Ruth. Almost immediately she meets the Joseph family and becomes entrenched in their lives, eventually marrying one of the sons. It's at this time she begins, and continues throughout the nine year period of the story, to learn some of the many secrets the family is hiding, sometimes even from themselves. She begins her role with them in a minor way, with little say in her life, but eventually becomes the pivotal point that keeps the Joseph men functioning and together.
The characters are very strong and well developed and the storyline kept me captivated from the first page until the end. This character-driven story made me feel as if I were a part of their life; reading character sections from the different points-of-view significantly increased my understanding of them as individuals. I appreciated the writer's choice in this presentation style, as it immensely contributed to the 'family feeling.' I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about people and families, what makes them functional and dysfunctional, and also drives them to fight, love, and push/pull so strongly together.
The characters are very strong and well developed and the storyline kept me captivated from the first page until the end. This character-driven story made me feel as if I were a part of their life; reading character sections from the different points-of-view significantly increased my understanding of them as individuals. I appreciated the writer's choice in this presentation style, as it immensely contributed to the 'family feeling.' I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about people and families, what makes them functional and dysfunctional, and also drives them to fight, love, and push/pull so strongly together.