Unlived Affections [Paperback]

George Shannon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1995

At his grandmother's death, eighteen-year-old Willie finds a box of old letters which explain many family secrets.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although Willie, 17, has never stopped asking questions about his parents, he has received very few satisfactory answers. He never knew his father, and little remains to document his mother's existence. His grandmother refuses to discuss details about the family, so it is only after her death that Willie discovers the collection of old letters that provides him with information about the past. Through letters his mother received from his father, Willie finds out about his own conception, his father's realization of his homosexuality and the circumstances of his parents' divorce. Willie is both disturbed and intrigued by the shocking story that unfolds, and he begins to understand his parents' complicated relationship as he shares their most intimate moments of love, grief, anger and compassion. In this framework, Shannon explores how two young men of different generations struggle to find their identities. A wide spectrum of deep emotions is conveyed effectively through Willie's thoughts and the confessions of his father. Willie discovers that the past is indeed intricately tied to the present as he recognizes a kinship with the author of the letters. The narrative of this novel is honest and concise; readers will be moved by the sensitive portrayal of each character and the tragedies they endure. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books (December 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555832997
• ISBN-13: 978-1555832995
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,731,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

It feels as though I have always been wrapped in stories and books. My parents read to me, and I in turn read to younger brothers. Family economics meant we couldn't own many books, but going to the library was as common as going to the market. I still have the books I received as gifts. They include two "Little Golden Books" that were savored in childhood, and have served as talisman ever since. THE BUNNY BOOK by Patsy and Richard Scarry (1955) and RABBIT AND HIS FRIENDS by Richard Scarry (1953).

Like all children I created stories as part of play. And, like some children, I was soon identified as one who "days dreams too much." I began writing stories when they were given as assignments in elementary school. By seventh grade I was writing even when there was no assignment. My dream of making books became so vivid, I submitted my first "formal" picture book manuscript to a publisher when I was sixteen. Eleven more years of school, work, reading, writing and luck finally brought about LIZARD'S SONG, my first children's book to be accepted.

Looking back, it seems especially appropriate that LIZARD'S SONG was my first book. Even though I had been writing for years, I always felt everyone else's life held better ideas for stories than mine did. I thought there was nothing about me that was interesting enough to make a good story. But I finally learned what Lizard teaches Bear. My best stories come when I tell or sing about what makes my home. What I love. What I fear. Things that have happened to me, and things I hope will happen. Things I like about me. Things I dislike about me. Things I understand, and things that still confuse me. So even though I am not a lizard, squirrel, chicken or rabbit, when you read my books you'll find little bits of what my heart calls home.

Picture books have been my professional focus now for 40 years. Reading them. Writing them. Sharing them with children. Teaching workshops and classes on writing them. Oh yes, and buying them. Lots of them. And now, blogging about them, and helping other writers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do You Know Where Your Parents Are?, August 2, 2001

By 

Toby Sanders (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unlived Affections (Paperback)

Learning that your parents are human is hard enough. But, when you think your father was dead and he turns out to have been living another life elsewhere, your world can turn upside-down. After Willie's grandmother dies, he discovers a treasure trove of letters from his father to his mother. Gradually working his way through the one-sided history of his parents' relationship, he discovers that everybody has been lying to him. His father did not die as he was told he did.

Instead, his father found love with another man. This compelling story about a young man discovering a father he never knew forces us to acknowledge the importance of the image we have of our own families.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Letters of revelation, December 20, 2006

By 

Benjamin (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Unlived Affections (Paperback)

Just before his eighteenth birthday, and a few weeks before he is due to leave Ottawa for Nebraska and college, Willie's Grandmother (Grom) dies. She had been ill for some months and he had helped care for her. Willie had been raised by his grandmother, his mother having died when he was very young, and his father, he was told by Grom, deserted his mother before he was born, and subsequently died, and Grom made it abundantly clear that that was no loss.
While clearing out their home following Grom's death Willie stumbles upon a box of letters, which turn out to be from his supposedly dead father to his mother. Willie spends the night reading the letters, and quickly learns that all he has been told is far from the truth, the letters reveal to him a father and a mother he never knew.
The book comprises almost entirely Willie's reading of the letters, interspersed with his own comments and understandings, including his reaction to the discovery that his father is gay and has found love with a young man. He also begins to comprehend better his reluctance to pursue the relationship with his girl friend Libby.
This is an absorbing story, and one cannot but feel for Willie's father, Bill, as he openly expresses himself to his estranged wife, nor fail to sympathise with the anger and confusion felt by Willie. I found this a very moving and rewarding story.