Diana Y. Paul’s THINGS UNSAID was published on October 13, 2015 by She Writes Press.
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Psychologist Jules Foster has two siblings: sister Joanne Grant, who is favored by her parents over her two siblings, and brother Andrew, but she is the only one taking care of her parents: retired Dr. Robert Whitman and his former nurse wife Aida Whitman, who likes to refer to herself as a socialite. Aida Whitman also has narcissistic tendencies. Jules is so aware of these narcissistic tendencies that she is writing a book titled The Narcissistic Mother.
Click below to read a review of THINGS UNSAID by Sara Hodon
http://www.compulsivereader.com/2016/05/05/a-review-of-things-unsaid-by-diana-y-paul/
Robert and Aida are now in their 80s and unable to maintain a fully independent life which requires them live at the assisted living facility SafeHarbour in Mukilteo, Washington state. Both Robert and Aida refuse to recognize their new status and insist on living independent lives despite the danger they put others in, particularly when Robert tries to drive and ends up in an accident. Jules Foster is trying to convince her parents to give up their Driver’s Licenses and try to handle their money better, but her pleas are ignored by her father and her mother refuses to accept any responsibility.
Jules is the only child who has not only spent money on them, but consistently flies to visit them from her Carmel, California home which only adds to the financial strain and marital strain she and her husband Mike are facing, as well as division between Jules and her daughter Zoe.
“I got your text, Jules,” Mike said on the phone before dinner. “Our savings have almost run out. Soon we won’t be able to pay our mortgage. To say nothing of Zoe’s college fund. Those selfish sons of bitches!”
“But I need to help them. They’re my parents. After all they have done for me, they can’t be thrown out on the street. We can help Zoe later. Her whole life’s ahead of her.”
“After all they have done for you? Are you serious? Just listen to yourself! You have to let go,” Mike said as her head throbbed. “Be realistic. We are what matters now. Choose: our future or theirs.”
Page 8.
To make matters worse Jules’s mother Aida doesn’t appreciate Jules’s sacrifices. In fact, she insists that she was a great mother and that whatever successes Jules has accomplished is because of her role as mother.
“Mother, I want to help, to be a good daughter. But I don’t want to be like you. I just want to do the right thing.”
“Ha, why don’t you want to be like me, I want to know! I’m your mother, and your father and I have done more than enough for you. Without us, there would be no Jules. You have absolutely nothing to complain about. We’re great parents.”
Page 4
Jules seeks an escape from her ungrateful mother and converts from Catholicism to Buddhism, which gives her some relief. Jules recognizes that to get true relief is to have her sister Joanne and her brother Andrew financially help her care for their parents. She pleads with them to contribute but they refuse. Joanne insists she can’t because she and her husband are already in debt, and she fears her husband might lose his residency. Andrew refuses and the reader learns why later in the book.
Birthday celebrations for his parents, family matters at SafeHarbour, those things were not part of his life anymore. And never would be again.
Pages 137
Things Unsaid is the proper title for this book – because most of the things that happened to the Whitman children remaines unsaid and are only remembered in each of the children’s minds – thus explaining to the reader the reasons he/or she act the way they do and avoid their parents at any cost.
Things Unsaid is about a great many things: a family on the brink of emotional ruin; asks the question of how far should adult children sacrifice emotionally, physically, and financially for elderly parents, particularly parents who are selfish; what does the caregiver adult child do when her siblings refuse to help her care for her parents? What does the one child who cares for her parents do when her husband gives her a choice: me and our children or your parents? Should Jules continue to support her parents, burying a deeper financial and conflicting hole in her marriage? Or should she just stop sending money and stop visiting her parents and leave them to their own devices?
Things Unsaid is also a story about the responsible and loving daughter Jules having to face the fact that no matter what she does to show her love for her parents she will never have their love, their approval, nor their acceptance.
Things Unsaid is a character driven novel, giving backstories to each of the characters. But more than any other character it is Jules’s story. What choices will she make?
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