Cost Book

This book is the story of a family like many others. A family of two sisters and a brother, grown up, with spouses and children. A family being torn apart, divided against itself, by many things, including:

1) Rapidly deteriorating mental conditions of both parents - a tragedy in itself.

2) A rift between two sisters, misunderstandings that have deepened into resentment and division

3) A divorce between Julia, the protagonist and elder sister, and her husband Wendell, resulting in Wendell's remarriage

4) Julia's son Steven, without direction in life, deciding to apply for law school and asking for financial help

But all these little schisms pale in comparison to the black hole that appears in the middle: Julia's younger son, Jack, is a heroin addict. And the family's love, money, energy, hope, everything they have, falls into the pit of despair and loss that is Jack and his addition. This is the cost that is referred to in the title of the book. It has cost Jack everything, and then costs his family what they have left.

This book was beautifully written, shifting perspective from person to person, showing us the lives, memories, and relationships of each person in turn. The constant stream of thoughts, of questions, that go through all our minds, moment by moment, is beautifully written as we occupy the thoughts of each character and how their relationships with everyone else around them shift and change in the wake of this central tragedy. This is a true American classic book