Every Last One

After four long years, Anna Quindlen's patient and faithful fans have been rewarded with her newest novel, Every Last One. This is not an easy read. Mary Beth Latham, wife, mother, and business owner, has a full and happy life. Her husband Glenn is lovable and companionable; her daughter Ruby a charming, intelligent, young woman, and her twin boys Alex and Max are like two sides of a coin--one the easy, popular athlete and the other the quiet, struggling outsider whom Mary Beth worries about the most. We know from the beginning of the story that something terrible will happen to fracture this family. When it comes, even though we have been warned, it is a shock. It is incredibly sad, but I do encourage you to read this book. Quindlen knows how to write. She knows how to connect the reader to the character, almost as if you are walking hand in hand with Mary Beth and her family. As the reader, you can see from the comfort of your reading chair that casual comments and small actions can sometimes unintentionally lead to large and calamitous results. This is a beautiful and tender drama of a family forever altered but a family nonetheless.