Five Star, Jul 2002, 26.95, 265 pp.
ISBN: 0786230347
Her son Joe worries about his septuagenarian mother living by herself in the Colorado mountains above Bear Lake especially since her eyesight is beginning to fail her. Her deceased husband Jacob encourages Addie Marsh to hang in there. So she refuses to relocate to an assisted living facility when she feels her health is fine except for the macular degeneration that makes seeing so difficult.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
Moving in the cabin next to her is Sybil, a pregnant teenage runaway. With Sybil is her abusive boyfriend Stony. Rather quickly Addie and Sybil form a grandmotherly-granddaughter bond starting with the baking of a cake. Though she has vision problems, Addie still has her faculties and realizes that Stoney is abusing Sybil. Addie knows she must intercede by bringing in the authorities, but she fears what will happen to herself and Sybil.
COMING TO MY SENSES is an insightful human drama that touches on several current problems facing different generations. Senior citizen Addie does no want to give up the loving home she shared with her deceased spouse. Joe wants to do what he considers best for his dear mother, but wonders if tough love intervention forcing her to move might be the best answer to keeping her safe. Sybil represents the issues of abuse and unmarried children bearing children. Though there is too many issues for mere mortals to deal with as the reader is overwhelmed at times, Addie Marsh provides a powerful melodrama showcasing the frailties and mortality of her fine cast.
Harriet Klausner
The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner
