Henry’s Sisters by Cathy Lamb Copyright 2009 352 p.
This is an excellent book. Heartbreaking and funny at the same time. It is about three sisters, Cecilia, Isabelle and Janie and their domineering mother. Their mother, who is a holy terror, needs open heart surgery and so the two sisters who live away from their home town come home to help out and take care of Henry who is mentally challenged. As the book unfolds we see that all of the family is damaged in different ways and all face their challenges as the book progresses, from a cheating husband, to a problem with alcohol and obsessive compulsive disorder. Throughout the book, one gets the sense that Henry, while not the main character is the glue that holds the family together.
There is a note of humor with the grandmother who thinks she is Amelia Earhart. The book is wonderful and heartbreaking. I loved it. The character of Henry reminded me of my brother, Matt, who is also mentally challenged, though not the degree Henry is. The things that happened to Henry remind me that they can also happen to Matt, which is terrifying.
This is a wonderful book for fans of Jodi Picoult and anyone else who loves a gripping story with strong female characters. I strongly recommend it.
I recently readthe new Cathy Lamb book “The Last Time I Was Me”. The story is about Jeanne Stewart, and advertising executive who has a nervous breakdown while addressing 834 fellow advertising employees informing them of the pointlessness of their lives. She then sells everything and leaves Chicago, heading out towards where her brother lives with a vague plan to drive into the ocean. Luckily for all of us, she doesn’t.
Her story of self discovery is both heartbreaking and hilarious. She finds a place to stay with Rosavita, a woman obsessed with germs who runs a bed and breakfast and takes some court ordered anger management classes, the details behind which are eventually revealed as the books enfolds.
The book has several subplots; exploited migrant workers, a cross dressing member of the anger management group, an impending trial, Jeanne’s shoe passion, a murder and the inevitable love interest before Jeanne is finally able to deal with her anger.
What makes this book truly enjoyable to me is the character of Jeanne. (The idea of a book starting with a nervous breakdown is not new. I have read several other books with the same theme “Breathing Room” by Susan Elizabeth Phillips comes to mind.) Jeanne is full of energy and power. She doesn’t take life lying down and stands up to her problems, rather than being a victim. I often fantasize about standing up to people the way she does. This facet of her personality makes her thoughts of suicide a little unrealistic because we know, as I think she does too, that she will not take her own life.
Her humor as well as her passion for shoes gives us a heroine that we can enjoy. Probably the best part of the book is the court scene at the end when we find out the exact details behind her nervous breakdown. The scene is hilarious, but totally unrealistic. There would have been a lot more objections!
Anyway, this book is worth your time. It’s a perfect way to while away a stormy Saturday afternoon on a comfy couch with a box of chocolates. Of course, it’s available at the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library.