Within Arm’s Reach
The McLaughlins are a big, complicated Irish family. At the helm is Catherine, who is starting to have visions of people she's lost: her husband, her mother, and three of her children. Despite her decline, she vows to care for her granddaughter Gracie and the baby she is expecting. The rest of the family is not as accepting, and they struggle with their own choices and next steps in life. Napolitano examines how an already complex family is complicated even more by past and present secrets.
These complex family dynamics seem to be Napolitano's specialty, and she also explored them in Hello, Beautiful. While that one didn't resonate with me as much as it did with many other readers, I still enjoyed it and felt the ties between the characters. I felt it less with this book; the different threads felt disjointed and I struggled to care about some of them salvaging their relationships. Napolitano is a beautiful writer, so I can't fully count out any of her books, but this won't stick with me.
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Publisher’s Description
No one in my mother’s family ever talks about anything that can be categorized as unpleasant or as having to do with emotions. . . .
This spellbinding novel by bestselling author Ann Napolitano is a poignant reminder of how connected we are to those we love, even when we cannot find the words to say it. The unforgettable story of three generations of an Irish American family, Within Arm’s Reach is another rich and deeply satisfying novel from the author who captured the many dimensions of grief in Dear Edward and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood in Hello Beautiful.