Author: Terri Giuliano Long
Paperback: 368 pages 
Publisher: CreateSpace (October 1, 2011)
Synposis:
Protecting their children comes naturally for Zoe and Will Tyler — until their daughter Leah decides to actively destroy her own future.
Leah grew up in a privileged upper-middle class world. Her parents spared no expense for her happiness; she had all but secured an Ivy League scholarship and a future as a star athlete. Then she met Todd.
Leah’s parents watch helplessly as their daughter falls into a world of drugs, sex, and wild parties. While Will attempts to control his daughter’s every move to prevent her from falling deeper into this dangerous new life, Zoe prefers to give Leah slack in the hope that she may learn from her mistakes. Their divided approach drives their daughter out of their home and a wedge into their marriage.
Twelve-year-old Justine observes Leah’s rebellion from the shadows of their fragmented family. She desperately seeks her big sister’s approval and will do whatever it takes to obtain it. Meanwhile she is left to question whether her parents love her and whether God even knows she exists.
What happens when love just isn’t enough? Who will pay the consequences of Leah’s vagrant lifestyle? Can this broken family survive the destruction left in Leah’s wake?
Review:
“There but for the grace of God go I.”
It’s the kind of thing the little old ladies who sit in the last pew in church and pray the rosary before Mass starts say. But when you read In Leah’s Wake, you’ll be saying if you have any children in your life.
I admire this book’s ability to take a situation and show it from each person’s viewpoint. It is a great portrayal of the vast canyon between what is said, what is meant, and what is understood. It explores the relationship between spouses, between siblings and between children and parents. This book starts out as a slow, predictable teenage rebellion story as old as time but quickly rockets out of control. You’ll find you can’t stop reading, needing to know what will happen next.
For me the ending seemed a little “happily ever after”. I couldn’t believe the situation could hit such rock bottom and then return to a semblance of normalcy. But I guess that’s the unpredictability of life with teenagers. right?
Hi Jodi,
Thank you so much for your generous review of In Leah’s Wake! Your analogy about the little old ladies in the last pew of the church makes me smile. It’s so true! I also love you remark about the unpredictability of teenagers. It’s amazing, at least to me, how life can feel so right one moment and so very wrong the next. It’s part of growing up, I think – not that this makes it any easier.
Thank you again!
Warmest wishes,
Terri