Thursday, October 29, 2009

It's Not About The Cookies


It's Not About The Cookies by KA Thompson is a family drama, contemporary fiction. Not my usual style of book at all, but one that I truly enjoyed. Thompson's characters are always rich in detail and personality, and in this case, easy to enjoy.

Samantha Stark has spent years picking at the emotional scabs of her life, reflecting on her parents, family and her life; at what's gone wrong and why. Sam analyzes her emotional turmoil through conversations with her brother, Steven, a character who it's easy to forget is dead. And she tries to face the most crucial questions of her mother's relationship with Steven and why no-one else has spoken of him for over 20 years.

As Sam tells stories of her childhood & relationships, and also wonders how much she might have messed up her own son Simon, I think many readers could find themselves relating to some of the stories. "My mom did that," or, "Have I said that to my child?!" Or maybe that's just mothers heaping on the self-guilt, wondering am I doing enough? Am I doing too much?

"It's Not About The Cookies" is a very moving story, not only because of these reflections but because the reader begins to miss Sam's brother Steven just as much as she does. And as she begins to resolve her issues - and learns that memories play one-sided tricks - will she be able to forgive her family or herself for her own failings?

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