In Leah's Wake by Terri Giuliano Long
October 1, 2010 by Createspace
Paperback, 354 Pages
Review Copy

The Tylers have a perfect life--beautiful home, established careers, two sweet and talented daughters. Their eldest, Leah, an exceptional soccer player, is on track for a prestigious scholarship. Their youngest, Justine, more responsible than seems possible for her 12 years, just wants her sister's approval. With Leah nearing the end of high school and Justine a seemingly together kid, the parents are set to enjoy a peaceful life...until Leah meets Todd, a former roadie for a rock band. As Leah's parents fight to save their daughter from a world of drugs, sex, and wild parties, their divided approach drives their daughter out of their home and a wedge into their marriage. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Justine observes her sister's rebellion from the shadows of their fragmented family-leaving her to question whether anyone loves her and if God even knows she exists.

Talk about a parents worst nightmare!

This book was uncanny for me as a reader, seeing as how I have a 16 and 12 year old (both girls) and both at the same stages in life as Leah and Justine. Granted my teenager doesn't do drugs nor does she disrespect me, so I don't know what this type of family in the book would feel like.....and Im not saying my kids are perfect...... but as far as problems go, they are tiny compared to what these parents went through. I always worry about whats going on inside my kids heads, like if things really are ok in school, if they are lonely, if the world of drugs and alcohol will ever touch them, its scary thinking about all the things that could be.

Watching Leah spiral out of control was like reading all my worst fears. I cant imagine having a child so out of control, having no boundaries or mutual respect, having a child addicted to drugs or getting involved with a bad crowd or the worst: sleeping with that dirt bag you know is trouble.

In Leah's Wake comes down to parent/child relationships and was centered basically around that driving point, how the parents deal with keeping Leah under control, handling the pain of lost dreams, the fear, the anger and all the mistakes they make over and over trying to help this lost child. We see Leah's irrational thought process, her anger, her fears and her complete rebellion against her parents. For me as the reader, I identified much more with the fathers approach rather than the mothers which surprised me because its normally females I identify with. I felt all those things tearing the family apart, even down to the young Justine who sort of just faded into the midst of the turmoil. Having that reaction of course was by the sheer talent of Long's writing, because she made me question those things, the story brought me to a place to face my (and most parents) worst fear, but on the flip side it also made me thankful for the family I've been blessed with.

It was impossible to not loathe everything about Leah, I wanted to jump in the novel and shake her to her senses, I know as parents we cannot make our children conform to our religion or even our own dreams for them, but to see one destroy themselves on purpose for no reason was so frustrating and to watch these idiot parents (a Catholic family who never once sought out the counsel of their community or church) pussyfoot around a 16 year old drove me up a wall. I would never give up fighting for one of my kids, but being a washboard would never be my solution, nor would an iron-fist of doom, a route each parent took dealing with Leah's problems. That being said, even though Leah frustrated me, it wasn't all her fault, Zoe and Will reeked of selfishness and crappy parenting, a combination of infidelity and lack of communication led to a huge break down in the marriage and ultimately an outcome that destroyed their family. Leah's rebellion certainly progressed the big break, or the tipping point of the family dynamic, but you cant be off diddling old friends and hunky cops and expect things at home to be dandy. When parents are at odds, love is lacking and discipline is split on both sides  the troubled child, or the manipulating child knows that, it was sad to see Leah use her parents, and equally sad to see her parents use her problems as excuses to justify their own shortcomings.

They all pay so dearly for the choices they make, and while Long leaves us with a glimpse of hope and a very moving end, the book overall was very ........sad.

Rating

Recommended to adult readers and contains: Violence, drug abuse, teen drinking, strong language, sexuality (including a few intense scenes of heavy make-outs and stripping) and family drama.

4/5- Contemporary Fiction
Thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions and Terri Giuliano Long, for my review copy

Terri Giuliano Long is a frequent blog guest, with appearances on hundreds of blogs. She’s written news and feature articles for numerous publications, including the Boston Globe and the Huffington Post. She lives with her family on the East Coast and teaches at Boston College. Her debut novel, In Leah's Wake, was a Kindle bestseller for more than 6 months. For information, please visit her website:www.tglong.com

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