Marley and her mother drift into the town of Mercury, Pennsylvania during Marley’s senior year of High School. Because her single mom is a kind of free spirited hold over from the Flower Child era, they never settle in one place very long and that pattern bothers Marley a lot. She yearns for roots, a family, a place to call home and it didn’t take long for Marley to believe that she had found that place.
Marley becomes enamored by the Joseph family. In Elise Joseph she believes she sees all the things that have been missing in her own home life. She loves the way Elise seems so committed to her husband and children and Elise finds Marley to be the daughter she never had. Elise’s husband and two of her three sons operate Joseph and Sons Roofing. The youngest son is still in school.
After a brief time dating the oldest son, Baylor, Marley builds a relationship with the middle son, Waylon. They marry and quickly become parents to Theo. The youngest brother, Shay, builds a close brother-sister bond with Marley.
Marley’s relationship with Elise is a rocky one and that provides a lot of the book’s focus. Her relationship with father, Mick, is even more strained—but his relationship with all of the family is bad. No one can do anything right in his eyes—not even Elise. It is not the kind of family Marley thought she had found.
At it’s heart, this is a book about family: what constitutes a family, how to become one, how to negotiate the rough patches. It is a book about love and support, acceptance of each other’s flaws, and encouragement of each other’s goals. Mick’s selfish ego-centrism—the result of PTSD from his time in the Vietnam War, beats Elise down. Neither of them are able to show love or support to the family. Yet even through the frailties of Mick and Elise, Marley is able to draw positive lessons for herself. I loved following Marley’s journey through the rocky terrain of the Joseph family as she searches for her perfect family. I highly recommend this book and am grateful to Goodreads for selecting me to read it!
Marley becomes enamored by the Joseph family. In Elise Joseph she believes she sees all the things that have been missing in her own home life. She loves the way Elise seems so committed to her husband and children and Elise finds Marley to be the daughter she never had. Elise’s husband and two of her three sons operate Joseph and Sons Roofing. The youngest son is still in school.
After a brief time dating the oldest son, Baylor, Marley builds a relationship with the middle son, Waylon. They marry and quickly become parents to Theo. The youngest brother, Shay, builds a close brother-sister bond with Marley.
Marley’s relationship with Elise is a rocky one and that provides a lot of the book’s focus. Her relationship with father, Mick, is even more strained—but his relationship with all of the family is bad. No one can do anything right in his eyes—not even Elise. It is not the kind of family Marley thought she had found.
At it’s heart, this is a book about family: what constitutes a family, how to become one, how to negotiate the rough patches. It is a book about love and support, acceptance of each other’s flaws, and encouragement of each other’s goals. Mick’s selfish ego-centrism—the result of PTSD from his time in the Vietnam War, beats Elise down. Neither of them are able to show love or support to the family. Yet even through the frailties of Mick and Elise, Marley is able to draw positive lessons for herself. I loved following Marley’s journey through the rocky terrain of the Joseph family as she searches for her perfect family. I highly recommend this book and am grateful to Goodreads for selecting me to read it!