Adult Onset - Rambling Readers

No cover — Ann-Marie MacDonald: Adult Onset (2014, Hodder & Stoughton)

English language

Published Jan. 1, 2014 by Hodder & Stoughton.

ISBN:: 978-1-4736-1012-5

(1 review)

"Mary Rose MacKinnon is a successful author of YA fiction doing a tour of duty as stay-at-home mom while her partner, Hilary, takes a turn focusing on her career. She tries valiantly to balance the (mostly) solo parenting of two young children with the relentless needs of her aging parents. But amid the hilarities of full-on domesticity arises a sense of dread. Do others notice the dents in the expensive refrigerator? How long will it take Mary Rose to realize that the car alarm that has been going off all morning is hers, and how on earth did her sharpest pair of scissors wind up in her toddler's hands? As frustrations mount, she experiences a flare-up of forgotten symptoms of a childhood illness that compel her to rethink her own upbringing and family history. Over the course of one outwardly ordinary week, Mary Rose's world threatens to unravel, and the …

"Mary Rose MacKinnon is a successful author of YA fiction doing a tour of duty as stay-at-home mom while her partner, Hilary, takes a turn focusing on her career. She tries valiantly to balance the (mostly) solo parenting of two young children with the relentless needs of her aging parents. But amid the hilarities of full-on domesticity arises a sense of dread. Do others notice the dents in the expensive refrigerator? How long will it take Mary Rose to realize that the car alarm that has been going off all morning is hers, and how on earth did her sharpest pair of scissors wind up in her toddler's hands? As frustrations mount, she experiences a flare-up of forgotten symptoms of a childhood illness that compel her to rethink her own upbringing and family history. Over the course of one outwardly ordinary week, Mary Rose's world threatens to unravel, and the specter of violence raises its head with dangerous implications for her and her children. With humor and unerring emotional accuracy, Adult Onset explores the pleasures and pressures of family bonds, powerful and yet so easily twisted and broken. Ann-Marie MacDonald has crafted a searing, terrifying, yet ultimately uplifting story. "--

7 editions

crabbygirl reviewed Adult onset by Ann-Marie MacDonald

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 …

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 the overarching desire to not upset a hard won balance in your family.

Subjects

Fiction, family life, general
Fiction, lgbtq+, lesbian
Lesbians, fiction