ACPL Online Book Club discussion

What does it mean to become a family again in the wake of divorce? How does each child grow to respond to the family difficulties? Question provided by the publisher.

I have no good answer to this question. The definition of family is very different today from what it was when a family was Ward, June, Wally and the Beav. Maybe that is good; maybe it is bad, but it IS. We know people who divorce are more likely than average to divorce again, and so many others relationships and the resulting children exist outside of traditional marriage, we cannot guarantee any sort of traditional stability in our relationships and to the resulting children.

Carolyn tries to meet the expectations of others; Albie acts out in self-destructive way. Holly finds inner peace, and, other than Holly, they all find their ways to supportive relationships and constructive occupations, sometimes by trial and error. I kinda like that it took Franny so long to realize the man who really loves her is her former roommate, sometimes the obvious is not so obvious.

We prize the ability to choose above all else, and as the definition of the word family changes, it will be interesting to see if the family becomes even less "centralized," or if the pendulum swings in the other direction.