Book: When Charlotte Comes Home

I was nervous about reading When Charlotte Comes Home by Maureen Millea Smith. Ms. Millea Smith is a colleague of mine who I think is just wonderful, and I was afraid I wouldn't like it. What would I say when she came to read at my library tonight? No worries. The story is mainly set in late 60s Omaha, and centers around a family dealing with the serious illness of the charasmatic youngest daughter. The scenes were written with just the right amount of detail; evocative with few wasted words. At first, I wondered at how different the 2 main families were from families that I knew. Yet they were so deftly written that I was quickly wrapped up in their lives and had trouble putting the book down. Going about my day, I would wonder what might happen to them and couldn't wait to get back into their lives at the end of the day.

Another thing I really appreciated about the novel was that there were gay characters and a character with Down syndrome, but that they were well rounded. The author did not let those specific aspects of their personalities define them. Interestingly at the reading, the author related that she only realized later in the process of writing the novel that the main character was gay.

And yay for Maureen! Her book was just featured in Minnesota Monthly as a good gift for book clubbers.