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Content snapshot
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Violence
Barely any
Minimal physical violence
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
Extreme psychological content: suicide attempt and its aftermath, grief, family dysfunction, and the slow work of therapy are the novel's entire subject
What this book is about
Judith Guest's debut novel follows the Jarrett family in the aftermath of the death of one son and the suicide attempt of another. The novel alternates between Conrad, the surviving son working through his guilt in therapy, and his father Calvin, who tries desperately to hold the family together while his wife Beth retreats into denial. The 1980 Robert Redford film is faithful to the book's emotional intelligence. A quiet masterwork of psychological realism about grief, family systems, and what we choose not to see.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Suicide attempt as central event
Family in psychological crisis throughout
Reader Verification
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