Gut wrenching!
This is the story of a boy that was torn between two mothers in his eyes, in his heart, and in his soul.
Michael grew up always wanting to be loved for who he was yet, sadly his parents sometimes didn't live up to his dreams.
They were sinful, they were with faults, they were broken in many ways-they were human.
The parents (Vin and Pauline) were high school sweethearts. They were not perfect, they worked hard, they tried to do right by everyone.
Living up to a child's viewpoint is often not easy. The hardest part is earning a living and keeping a family moving forward. Support, guidance, love, comfort, and maturity all seems to go hand in hand. Those memories seem to fade as we get older. Or, is it we simply taken them for granted. Sometimes we feel as though our parents are like the Batman and Robin of our time. The cape is worn like a superhero yet, the signs of aging and the signs of exhaustion are present upon our parents faces.
Have we ever stopped to think of their sacrifices in trying to give us everything we could've ever wanted, a life better than we had, a start to something bigger?
I used to tell my own ex-husband and father of our three kids about that dash and the importance of what we accomplish here on Earth. Our living legacy is our children, our offspring, our flesh and blood.
We have only one shot at getting it right and we can't mess it up. Yet, what do our children really think about us? Would they care if one day we were gone?
Michael in this story goes through so many trials and tribulations. Growing pains. Maturity and development. Childhood adolescence and awareness of one's own capabilities, challenges, and dreams.
Surely, Michael wasn't the most popular but that apple never fell too far from the tree. It makes one wonder if his father was just like his son? Who would know since this other mother is now in the picture with her new husband -Glenn.
Michael isn't accepting of his stepdad nor does he like the fact his mother is doing double duty in supporting their family after his dad's sudden passing.
Speaking of which the notion that his dad went to higher ground via a heart attack is not quite accurate. There's much more to his passing that we don't uncover till the very end.
It was so touching, moving, heartbreaking.
I had to step back myself and wrap up the emotions because it was draining. The fact that so many are suffering in our world today. The pandemic has opened our eyes to so many injustices. So many problems. So much suffering from depression, stress, anxieties, trauma, and more.
The careful and thoughtful reflection upon this book opens people up to a whole other realm of thinking. The fact that boys should be allowed to cry. They should be protective of their mothers and female friends and that both are acceptable standards of care.
That a young man can mature even if suffering from Capgras delusions in becoming a fine outstanding citizen.
Imposters may exist with this Capgras delusion but the fact that his mother aged and appeared to be someone other than who she was captivated my soul. As a parent myself I know how we have to wear many hats. As a single mom, left bankrupt -homeless-long term unemployed-without a dime while having to still keep juggling three kids till adulthood and doing so without basics is still a moment I won't soon forget. My son was medically disabled and I couldn't even get a doctor to help us keep our lights on because he didn't require electricity to live even though he's disabled for life.
The world is a cruel, heartless, and misinformed place in which many of us fall through the cracks unnoticed, under appreciated, and without a drop of recognition for simply being parents.
The hardest job in the world is parenting.
With this noted, I can only note that Matthew Dicks has moved me to tears with his writing. The reveal about the garage, the candid and openness about the two mothers and their relationships, the coming together as one near the end - it was simply magnificent.
Thank you Matthew Dicks, St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Amazon Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
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