"Goldengrove" Francine Prose

"Goldengrove" is the fourth book that I've read for the Harper-Collins Fabulous Fall Reading Challenge. What I didn't expect prior to picking the book up is that I would become immersed in the fabulous writing and compelling plot line and I would resent any distractions that arose while I was TRYING to READ. So, for the two days or so that it took me to read this book, the kids, my job, and my housework suffered (just a little!) while I snuck in a page or two while I could.

"Goldengrove" follows a family, most specifically 14 year-old Nico, as they comes to terms with the death of Margaret, their sister and daughter. Margaret dies suddenly of heart complications leaving behind a broken family unsure of how to deal with the sudden hole in their lives. The book follows the family as they try to survive the first three months after Margaret's death. I won't really get too much further into the plot because it's a book worth reading for yourself.

Despite the fact that the plot line appears to be one of misery and depression (it's actually not), I loved this book. Prose manages to capture the rawness of the situation. She somehow manages to capture the emotions that rise to the surface when you lose a loved one in a way that made me stop and think what it would be like for me to lose someone that close to me. The family in the book spends the first few months after Margaret's death not eating or sleeping, and slowly trying to make sense of it all. Their lives seem to pass in a meaningless fog, and Prose manages to convey this hopelessness so effectively.

I would highly recommend this book. Her writing flows, her plot lines are thought-provoking and I really couldn't put the book down. You can check it out for yourself on Harper-Collins' brand new website here.