THE ART OF MENDING

TITLE: THE ART OF MENDING
AUTHOR: ELIZABETH BERG
Pages: 236
Date: 06/04/2009
Grade: 4.5
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It's been a long time since I read a book by Elizabeth Berg, and that's a shame. I had almost forgotten how good she is at writing about real people, living a situation you could imagine finding yourself in. She's not one for coming up with a perfect, fairytale ending, just to make the reader feel good. Instead, she keeps it real, offering a resolution as you would find in real life; something that is a first step in the right direction, provided the characters keep on moving in the right direction after the reader leaves them.
This story is being told by Laura Bartone, who is in her fifties. She and her family are heading on their annual trip to her parental home for the Minneapolis state fair. However, this time it won't be an effortless holiday. Laura's younger sister, Caroline, who has always been the odd duck out, needs to share some traumatic childhood memories in order to move on with her life. They are not memories she shares with Laura or their brother, and Laura is deeply shocked and confused by them. They leave her questioning what to believe.
As the family is shocked by another devastating event, Laura and her family have to come to terms with their past and find the power of forgiveness and new beginnings in order to face the future without falling apart.
The character Laura lends her friend a copy of LOST LAKE by Mark Slouka, remarking that it's very good. Now, of course, I'll have to check that book out.