From Publishers Weekly
A pregnant, unmarried schoolteacher returns to her childhood home in a New Jersey seaside resort town in this expertly wrought, acutely observed first novel. Jane Haus narrates the last six months of her pregnancy, during which she revives relationships with her crotchety father and her older sister and struggles to understand the lasting emotional damage wrought upon them by her unhappy mother's illness and death. Fluid writing and finely shaped characters?from each family member to minor players, such as Jane's obstetrician, her high-school golf teacher and one of her students?form the backbone of this affecting domestic drama. As the Haus family enigma, Jane's mother is the book's weakest character, one whose wispy, distant presence deprives the several flashbacks of emotional suspense. In contrast, the present-day narrative, which dominates, is propelled by the surviving family's gripping, poignant attempts to overcome their unhappy history and support Jane. A marvelously executed childbirth scene proves a strong metaphor for the painful emotional changes that Jane, her sister and her father experience. One finishes the story of this eccentric family wishing it were just beginning.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
This first novel is the story of a woman who tries to make sense of her own life after her mother dies of cancer. The emotional turmoil Jane experiences over her mother's illness and death doesn't ever go away entirely, and Schumacher describes how she navigates the turmoil while trying to remain balanced. As the book opens, Jane returns home to fill in many of the gaps regarding her mother's life. Not coincidentally, she is pregnant, and she needs the security and comfort that her father and her sister, Bee, can provide. She also needs the downstairs tenant, Bill Denzer, to help her search for the letters and diaries that her mother left behind. When a complication in her pregnancy nearly kills her, Bill saves her by rushing her to the hospital. Schumacher (creative writing, St. Olaf Coll.) has published stories in anthologies and literary magazines. With enormous power and clarity, she here presents a thoroughly believable tale about love, loss, and difficult family relationships. Recommended for general collections.?Lisa Nussbaum, Euclid P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
