Customer Reviews

In a Family Way

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found this book a moving account of choices and consequences. If you believe that a lifetime commitment between two people qualifies as "family" and if you believe that such a commitment should be honored after the death of one of the partners, you will be touched by this story. Will this little family be able to stay together after the mother dies in a tragic accident? Read it and see.

Janice and her partner, Sonya, would like to have a child. Sonya has three grown kids, but she lost them in a custody battle when they were young, and after all these years, she is ready to be a parent again. The two women meet with two acquaintances, Keith and Aaron, a long-time gay couple, and after a variety of fits and starts and concerns from lawyer Aaron, Keith agrees to help out the two women by being a sperm donor for Janice. After the first try, little Heather, who is the spittin' image of her father, is conceived and born. Janice and Sonya are over the moon with joy.

Of the four main characters in this book, only Aaron has a good relationship with his family. Janice's mother has no understanding of her daughter's lifestyle, and Sonya and Keith are exiled from their families. This has a major impact on the two couples when tragedy strikes. Suddenly, two of the characters are in a tug-of-war over Heather, and their families, the media, and the legal system are all embroiled in it, too.

I liked the fact that both gays and lesbians were given equal time in this book, and I was delighted to see how Keith so very quickly came to love Heather in a fierce and protective manner all the more moving because of how unexpected it was to him. Not many books have focused on gay dads, but there are far more gay fathers out in the world than people realize.

What is compelling about this novel is that the reader truly comes to understand that there are no easy answers in custody battles, especially when the laws are not only subjective and imprecise, but also anti-homosexual. The tension and conflict were marvelously rendered. Depending upon whose point-of-view I was seeing things from, I found myself understanding that person's situation and being totally supportive of him or her. And then the perspective would change, and suddenly someone I thought was wrong came into focus as having valid claims and sympathetic issues. Everyone was right; everyone was wrong; and there were no easy answers.

The novel has a satisfying resolution, albeit one that becomes apparent to the reader long before the battling litigating parties catch on. Still, it's not a happy ending where everything is wrapped up by the last page. If these characters existed in real life, I know there would be pitfalls and future problems for them, but by the end of the story, I felt hope that little Heather would get the best of all worlds.

This is a book for gays, lesbians, straights-for anyone interested in the ways that the law and prevailing attitudes have not kept pace with biology and all the possibilities of new family arrangements. It's an ambitious book full of heart and hope, and I highly recommend it.
~Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review

Schwab's novel is an exploration of the complexities that bind together and split apart both biological and chosen families. Confronted with a difficult and complex situation, the characters react in ways both realistic and unexpected. An interesting and timely book.

I really enjoyed this book as my niece has just "come out to me." I shared the book with her, and she and her friends are also enjoying it. The book pointed out the legal intricacies of a gay lifestyle in a very sensitive way and the characters were realistically drawn.

The author has tackled a topic that is becoming a more common phenomenon (parenting by gays and lesbians). Her warm, gentle approach to human relationships highlights the emotional confusion parents suffer when tragedy occurs within the family. The reader will be stimulated to think about his/her own moral values concerning "what is a family?"

"In A Family Way" is a provocative book that keeps the reader's attention throughout.

Schwab has written an intelligent book that expands on the definition of a modern-day family. Exploring both the legal and emotional issues that confront gay and lesbian parents, this novel is a must-read for those interested in the question, "What makes a family?"

Certainly the issue of gay parenting is very timely; this novelillustrates in a very human way the intricacies and problems faced bygay men and lesbians in raising families and the inadequacies of the legal system for dealing with gay families.

I was intrigued at the description of the varied courtroom discussions and legal procedures(and precedents). This most interesting work is well written and obviously throughly researched. It is a great accomplishment to write about so many persons knowing the reader needs to keep relationships clear and to convey a not-too-easy topic expressing all participants moods' in an understanding manner.

Julian M. Gokhale, Sun City, FL

I found In a Family Way very compiling especially since we are seeing custody rights being challenged in the courts. More specifically the custody rights of gay and lesbian parents is even more dramatic and this novel does wonders for individuals who are struggling with these kinds of issues. Even if one is not gay or lesbian, one can learn from the characters in this novel because their experience is so real. --A gay reader in Arlington, VA