Author : Bruce Holsinger
This was our September book club read . A very very interesting novel which lets the readers observe how the competitive spirit and the high ambitions of the parents affect their own lives and the lives of their children , a very common trend prevalent worldwide.
Set in the upscale fictional town of Crystal , Colorodo , four friends decide to enlist their children to a gifted school ( magnet school ) which has newly opened in the neighborhood. Like any gifted and talented program , there are a series of tests to be cleared to get the admission into the school . As the journey begins and the tensions skyrocket , the parents are sucked into a competitive spiral, where at one point , oblivious to their own conscience, the moral compass bends and the relationships become a complex tangled web of secrets and lies
The book is very relatable and also self reflective. Most of us who have school going kids can map the characters to one or another parent who we meet in the school . The subtle emotions we encounter as a parent , the jealousy , vanity, pride is very well captured in this book .
The plot does deviate a bit towards the end , a lot of unpleasant complexities surface between the parents . Those could have been easily avoided and not necessary for the main storyline to progress.
But overall it is a very good read . I would recommend it to every parent who has school going kids .
Parenting is a favorite topic of discussion for many of us . Most of us have very strong opinions and are prone to judging and belittling other parents and their children .
None of us are experienced enough to counsel others on how to raise their kids , but there is a school of thought that helicopter parenting is not very good in the long run . And all of us in our book club agreed on the same yesterday.
Rating : 👍👍👍👍
No comments:
Post a Comment