Cal and Beth have a marriage to envy, they are living the type of life that all their friends aspire to lead as well. To all their friends and acquaintances, the Jarrett family is the epitome of perfection. Seventeen-year-old Conrad is the introvert of the family he is more focused on his future - highly studious, yet extremely shy and reserved. Cal and Beth have two wonderful sons: Eighteen-year-old Jordan - nicknamed Buck - is an extrovert and the perpetual risk-taker in the family. Thirty-nine year old Beth cherishes her husband and family organized and efficient, Beth is the backbone of the family. Forty-one year old Cal is the loving husband and father - a determined, successful provider for himself and his family. The Jarrets are just a typical American family. A beautifully written novel and a powerful look at the downside of the American dream Among the most astonishing elements of the work is the fact that Guest writes the entire novel in the present tense-a risky choice, but one which she brings off with amazing skill. Guest's characters move with considerable reality and a touching humanity above the novel's unexpectedly complex underpinnings, and the author's prose is smooth, easy to read and understand, and completely faultless.
Judith Guest brings the reader into the story at the middle, shortly after son Conrad's release from the hospital-and with a somewhat sparse but remarkably eloquent style quickly develops the characters that people Conrad's world as he fights to find balance between his parents and himself, as he works desperately to find a way out of the expectation of perfection imposed upon him by both himself and the society in which he moves. The mask of perfection cracks, and those who hide behind it find themselves emotionally unable to rebuild their lives. But perfection comes at a price, and when older son Buck dies in a boating accident and surviving son Conrad attempts suicide the difference between the American dream and American reality becomes painfully apparent. The Jarretts are the perfect family leading a perfect life in a perfect world: wealthy, respectable, an expensive house in an exclusive neighborhood, European vacations, Texas golf trips.
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