Friday, October 03, 2008

Heartbreaking family story


Cost is Roxana Robinson's new novel. It is the story of a son who is struggling with heroin addiction, and the family that tries to reach out and help him. But it is also the story of a family that continuously struggles with connecting to each other. The descriptions of Jack's descent are grim and heartbreaking, but it's helpful and illuminating to get this point of view, to get in the mind of a person whose sole purpose in life becomes getting money to get the next fix. The other family members are drawn very well also--we get in all their heads, and see how much they love each other but how hard it is for them to communicate with each other. You may recognize some aspects of your own family in this novel, even if no one you know is experiencing an intervention or a serious drug or alcohol problem. All families are complicated, and this one is no exception. Highly recommended.

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