Book Review: The Awakening

The current book I am reading is about two worlds colliding. One is a world of the present and the other is a world of the past. There was a woman named Maryanne who lived in a home that was occupied by a family of three- the father, the mother, and their daughter. The father (Paul) and the mother (Penny) are unfortuantely going through a rough patch in their marriage. Paul, a former college professer, was caught cheating on his wife with one of the students he taught. After their marriage had taken a turn for the worst, the couple realized that their 13-year-old daughter's attitude was also taking a turn for the worst. She began to rebel against her parents. She often cursed around them and would also refuse to hold a conversation with them without "snapping out." Penny, a professional surgeon, had not been in her own home for weeks because of her hectic work schedule. During this difficult time in the family, Maryanne often roamed through her family home in Maryland. Maryanne ended up at a mental hospital where she talked to her therapist daily about how she got there and where her family was. Her therapist, Michael, tried to help her remember her life back at home, who she was, and where she came from. While these events were going on they still communicated everyday, Maryanne began to remember but was still not satisfied. So she went back to her home to feel complete again. Unfortuantely, she encountered several experiences with the family house while she was there. These experiences confused her and she often told the family to leave her home and find her real family. They could not hear her, but could see her.

So my final interpretation of the book- The Awakening is Mary does not realize she is a ghost and has to awaken. Then she can return to reality. This was a very interesting book and highly recommend every student read this book. I plan to have additional book reviews as the year progresses.