Barbara Davis has wowed me again with another story of love, loss, and second chances in Every Precious and Fragile Thing. It’s a story of relationships broken by secrets and tragedies. This is a story that made me look at my own relationships with my mother and my daughter in a different way.
This book has a lot going on regarding relationships and how they are broken or healed. I totally connected with the characters in different ways. Mallory’s pain and resentment come from her mother not being present enough. Her mother always seems to put her job before Mallory. Her mother’s job also forced them to move quite a bit while also inviting rumor and speculation. Being the new kid in school is always tough, but dealing with that and gossip is bound to cause a child to resent the parent. Having buried that resentment and hurt deep so she could “move on” is starting to surface in unexpected ways. If Mallory doesn’t go home and deal with her past, she’s headed for a meltdown.
Helen walks on eggshells around her daughter, Mallory, in an attempt save what little relationship they have left. However, the time has come to share with her daughter a secret she has been keeping for decades. Will their fragile mother/daughter relationship dissolve completely when Mallory finally learns the truth about her mother? Helen is afraid to find out, but knows she must find the courage to tell.
Estelle spent her life presenting an image to the world. But now she is dying. Does she have enough time to help her son thru his despair after an accident derails his brilliant career as a concert pianist? She’s angry. But with a little help from Helen, Estelle begins to see the mistakes of her life in a new way. Maybe she will have enough time to mend some relationships, not just with her son, but with Helen and Mallory who were victims of her vicious tongue in the past.
I enjoyed this book on several levels and couldn’t put it down. Each character has my sympathy in a different way. They also irritated me in different ways. But in the end, the truth was revealed and relationships were changed. As a mother and daughter, the victim of vicious gossip, and the child of a mother determined to see her child’s talent developed to its fullest potential, I identify with each and every character. And I believe most would be able to connect with at least one of the characters.
Would I read this book again? Yes. Would I recommend this book to others? Absolutely! It’s a wonderfully emotional exploration of the fragile bonds between mothers and their children.