Synopses & Reviews
A novel of how family happens—whether you like it or not
Elaine and Carson Forsyth have returned to the tree house—Elaine's childhood home, a cabin nestled high in the branches of two oaks beside a North Carolina lake—where forty-nine-year-old Carson has chosen to spend the waning days of his life. As Elaine prepares for a future without her beloved husband, their solace is interrupted. Carson's mother, Greta, has set loose a neighbor's herd of alpacas and landed herself in police custody. While Carson, remarkably, sees humor in the situation, Elaine can only question what her obligations are—and will be—to a woman who hasn't spoken to her in more than twenty years.
In the wake of Carson's death, Elaine and their grown son, Mick, are thrust into the maelstrom of Greta, the mother-in-law and grandmother who never accepted either of them. Just as they are trying to figure out their new roles in the family, Mick uncovers unexpected questions of his own. A long-ago teenage relationship with a local girl may have left him with more than just memories, and he must get to the bottom of Greta's surprising accusations that he's not Carson's son at all.
Review
“Pleasant....Pages knack for characterization...helps nudge things toward an appropriately affirmative ending.” Publishers Weekly on The Last Summer of Her Other Life
Review
“[A] complex, multi-layered book. [Page] seamlessly navigates the books intertwining narratives and presents believable characters, at once imperfect and utterly sympathetic. Both the storys emotional pull and intricate plot twists are sure to seduce new readers.” Publishers Weekly on The Space Between Before and After
Review
“Page portrays these past and present emotional quagmires with an acutely intuitive eye, drawing the reader into the complicated lives of her sympathetic characters.” Booklist on The Space Between Before and After
Review
“A complex, well-orchestrated family drama.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer on The Space Between Before and After
Review
“Rosalind and the children are remarkably portrayed.” Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
One of todays most compelling voices in womens fiction, acclaimed novelist Jean Reynolds Page delivers a story of unanticipated familial ties, exploring with compassion and humor the hope, forgiveness, and sometimes just plain tolerance necessary to hold a family together. Safe Within is rich with heart and Southern atmosphere, as a loving wife, facing an almost unbearable impending tragedy, returns with her husband and son to Lowfield, North Carolina—and to a cabin high up in the trees—where she must contend with, and somehow make peace with, an infuriatingly eccentric mother-in-law. Readers touched by this authors earlier work—including the much beloved The Space between Before and After—can rejoice, and fans of Jodi Picoult and Jacquelyn Mitchard will be adding another name to their list of favorites authors.
About the Author
Jean Reynolds Page is the author of Leaving Before It's Over, The Last Summer of Her Other Life, The Space Between Before and After, A Blessed Event, and Accidental Happiness. She grew up in North Carolina and graduated with a degree in journalism from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She worked as an arts publicist in New York City for over a decade. After leaving New York, she reviewed dance performances for numerous publications before turning full time to fiction in 2001. In addition to North Carolina and New York, she has lived in Boston, Dallas, and Seattle. She lives with her husband and three children in the Madison, WI, area.