Mothers and Sons

A very well-written and perceptive dissection of relationships and families, exploring how difficult it can be for some people to grapple with something painful in their past. It's powerful when Peter realizes that others (for example, his clients) have been trying to move on and live their lives. It captures interactions so well, like showing Ann's careful mental navigation of every conversation. The immigration law aspect of the book is timely and fascinating. There isn't much humor, and I thought some of the dialogue among the teenagers (i.e., in the flashbacks to Peter's youth) was a bit stilted, but overall I enjoyed it a lot. I know I'll be thinking about it. P.S. There was a revealing Biblioracle interview with the author; the most interesting thing to me was the discussion about the point of view: first person for Peter and close third person for Ann.