American Family
American Family
Richard and Michael, both three years sober, have just decided to celebrate their love by moving in together when Richard—driven by the desire to do the right thing for his ten-year-old-daughter, Brady, whom he has never met—impulsively calls his former father-in-law to connect with her. With that phone call, he jeopardizes the one good thing he has—his relationship with Michael—and also threatens the world of the fundamentalist Christian grandparents who love Brady and see her as payback from God for the alcohol-related death of her mother. Unable to reach an agreement, the two parties hire lawyers who have agendas far beyond the interests of the families—and Brady is initially trusted into Richard and Michael’s care. But when the judge learns that the young girl was present when a questionable act took place while in their custody, she returns Brady to her grandparents. Ultimately, it’s not until further tragedy strikes that both families are finally motivated to actually act in the “best interests of the child.”
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Reader reviews of “American Family”
Well Written, Relevant & Insightful
Catherine Marshall Smith through her book American Family invites the reader to experience and perhaps participate in the present day transformative American family and a lot of its complexities. This well written story focuses on the relationship of two homosexual partners (who happen to both be recovery alcoholics) attempting to become parents by adopting one of their estranged biological daughters. It's about the realities and challenges of a modern day family unit and what that may encompass. Catherine Marshall Smith's novel is gripping and well researched, offering valuable insight into various familial challenges such as gay parenting, addiction, bullying, abandonment, divorce, custody rights, love and compromise. The main characters, along with the storyline are well developed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it so relevant in today's world.
Perfect Book Club Selection
American Family is a touching, true-to-life story of a modern-day family divided by conflict. The characters on all sides of the court conflict —a gay dad fighting for custody of the daughter he abandoned before she was born and the traditional, Christian grandparents who stepped in to take care of her— are portrayed with both criticism and compassion. While not avoiding the topics of sexuality and religion, the author deftly avoids handing out white hats and black hats in this story. All of the characters make mistakes. They all have blind spots. They all love the child that they're fighting for. Everyone's hat is a shade of gray.
Marshall Smith shows all of the characters as flawed, both sides as caring, and both sides coming from a place of love and protection for a child. No monsters, just humans struggling with the circumstances they're facing. The characters and the story are written with such empathy and even-handedness that most any reader can feel the complexity of the problem that they face and can only wonder how they would rule should they be the judge in this particular court.
Those who enjoy Jody Picoult's style of portraying modern-day conflicts in a readable, accessible, and compelling story will love American Family. A perfect beach read or book club selection.