Adult onset

a novel

384 pages

English language

Published Jan. 1, 2014 by Alfred A. Knopf Canada.

ISBN:
978-0-345-80827-1
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OCLC Number:
875729424

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3 stars (1 review)

Mary Rose MacKinnon--nicknamed MR or "Mister"--Is a successful YA author who has made enough from her writing to semi-retire in her early 40s. She lives in a comfortable Toronto neighbourhood with her partner, Hilary, a busy theatre director, and their 2 young children, Matthew and Maggie, trying valiantly and often hilariously to balance her creative pursuits with domestic demands, and the various challenges that (mostly) solo parenting presents. As a child, Mary Rose suffered from an illness, long since cured and "filed separately" in her mind. But as her frustrations mount, she experiences a flare-up of forgotten symptoms which compel her to rethink her memories of her own childhood and her relationship with her parents. With her world threatening to unravel, the spectre of domestic violence raises its head with dangerous implications for her life and that of her own children.

7 editions

Review of 'Adult onset' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I chose to read this a second time, this time with my book club. the group's opinion was meh (as was mine the first time around) but this time - knowing where it was going - it just hung together so much better. for instance, in my first reading I felt the action dragged over a long period of time, but this read I saw it was over the course of 5 days and most of the expository was in her head as memories or run-on thoughts. and I had so much more room for forgiveness for her mother this time around (but even more anger for her father) which I think is what the author intended. I still wish the character would have been more direct in challenging her parent's earlier nasty attitude (and consequent re-writing of history) of her coming out as a lesbian, but I do understand …

Subjects

  • Women
  • Fiction
  • Families
  • Roman
  • Amerikanisches Englisch