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Ginny is home after an accidental overdose nearly killed her. Her sons, Rob and Jamie, arrive to help her recover in her small but quaint 200-year-old farmhouse. Ginny vows to never touch alcohol and drugs again as long as she lives. She examines her life honestly, confronting her guilt for leaving her young sons and husband to live with her lover. Now, they are grown men with partners and lives of their own, and they are coming to her rescue. When Jamie needs help with his ailing partner, she travels to Key West to assist in his care. When the mother of Rob's twins leaves him without a word, she travels to his all but defunct commune to help with their care. As Ginny approaches her late sixties and becomes involved with a new man, she questions how much more she can give to her sons. Will she find the happy balance she now seeks in her life?
Thorndike opens his own life in a reimagining of how life might have been had his mother not died of an overdose when he was a child. The novel is a marvel of imagination and creativity, not only in its premise but also in the author's writing, which is at times enchanting. Ginny is perfectly flawed and fragile, yet her strength is evident. The family dynamics are intriguing as mother and sons go through their separate trials with the support and presence of each other, a presence Thorndike imagines through the eyes of a son. This "son's novel" is a true testament to the bond between mother and child. It addresses the common human experience of wondering, "What if?" Thorndike explores that question for himself here and invites fortunate readers along for the ride, making for a truly wonderful read.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review
Thorndike's The World Against Her Skin was a 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize Short List book.