Book Review: Falling Out Of Bed

Author:Mary Schramski
Title: Falling Out Of Bed
Publisher: Harlequin Next
Publish Date May 2006
Buy: Amazon
Blurb: Melinda had never questioned her perfect life. Why should she? Her husband's successful, she's not working for the first time in years and their only daughter is in college. Her father--a workaholic, perfectionist, runner and health nut to boot--is happy and healthy too. — Or so Melinda thought until her father quite literally falls out o... more »f bed. Suddenly her formerly robust parent is in jeopardy, and their roles are reversed. Melinda's life changes in the blink of an eye.

But with changes, unexpected blessings come her way, too. Because as she and her father bond, Melinda realizes she's been sleeping through life--and starts discovering what really matters.

Review: This book was beautiful and yet very depressing. It also goes to show that Mary Schramski is a wonderful writer. She gives her readers a wonderful story of a daughter who is caring for a once fit father, who now has prostate cancer that has spread.

Perhaps Melinda is a little bit too much in denial to be believed throughout the better part of the book, but that doesn't take away the message of the story, which is to live life to its fullest.

Her father was a work-a-holic who divorced Melinda's mom when she was about twelve. He has always been the picture of health, and that really is what keeps Melinda in denial.

This book really gives the reader a clear impression of what it like to have a loved one suffering from cancer. It may be a little sugar coated, but it is all there. You have hope, depression, denial, fear, frustration and a myriad of other feelings. What I felt was really driven home in this book was how people cope with illness. Many of Stanley's friends deserted him as his illness progressed.

There's even a touch of the spiritual to the book, bring a bit of religion, into Melinda's life again. It is nicely done too.

The only thing that didn't quite sit right with me, was how together Melinda was, as well as her husband, David. Thoughout Stanley's illness they didn't have much conflict, and even the conflict that Melinda had with Jan, Stanley's second ex, it didn't really explode as it really ought to have when tensions were the way they were.

Still this story is a wonderful family drama. Your eyes won't be dry at the last page.

Rating: 4 flowers