Appearances: A Novel

By: Sondra Helene

Narrated by: Sara K. Sheckells

Samantha - the fashionable wife of a successful businessman and doting mother of one - struggles to negotiate the spheres of intimacy between her husband and her family of origin. Samantha loves her husband, Richard, and she loves her sister, Elizabeth. But the two of them can barely exist in the same room, which has caused the entire family years of emotional distress. Yet it's not until Samantha's sister is diagnosed at age 43 with lung cancer that her family and her marriage are tipped into full-blown crisis.

A story of love, loss, forgiveness, learning to live with grief, and healing, Appearances will resonate with anyone who has ever experienced tension in their familial relationships - even as it serves as a poignant reminder that no amount of privilege can protect us from family conflicts, marital difficulty, or mortality.

©2019 Sondra Helene (P)2019 Sondra Helene

Intentions as important as appearances

This book is about a marriage that has almost disintegrated due to misunderstandings, inattention, and the inability of each partner to try or WANT to understand the other on a meaningful level. That said, there's probably a lot that's typical of many marriages in this story, making it something great chunks of the listening world can relate to. What's unique: it takes place in suburban Boston, there is a poignant subplot about dealing with the pain of cancer in a loved one, the author can put sentences together well, and the story is replete with the family's Judaic culture and traditions. I finished it, despite zooming through several sections at hyper-speed (my feeling is the book could easily stand to lose at least 50 pages), but it's not likely I'll return for a second listen. I requested and received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from the narrator, and none of my dissatisfaction came from the narration. I like to finish a story with a sense for why the author chose to write that particular book. I think Ms. Helene's intent was to show how important attention and intention are to a good marriage; my preference would be to read/listen to such a morality tale only if it included far less whining.

Difficult but Important Read

This book was masterfully written. The journey(s) it takes you on, aren’t necessarily ones you want to experience but they’re important, necessary, and humanizing. Between Elizabeth’s battle, Samantha’s relationship, and the entire family’s dynamic, Sondra Helene forced me to ponder who Am I in all this turmoil? What role do I play, in my own saga, how can I be better and how can I be there for those around me. Truly moved by this work!

Heart-wrenching novel

Heart-wrenching beautifully written novel. I really loved Samantha's character and was surprised at how much I identified with the family conflict and tension. There was so much emotion in this story and it was so moving. I highly recommend it.

This audiobook was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Appearances

Appearances don’t always tell the whole story. This story it quite the emotional listen with family drama, marital discontent, sickness, mortality, forgiveness... it really struck a chord with me.

Sondra Helene tugged at my heartstrings with this emotional story. It really makes you think about what’s important in life.

The narration by Sara K. Sheckells was so well done. Everything seemed so real.

I was given this free review copy at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

A story of grief, intimately told

The intimacy of the narrator’s voice, like your best friend telling you her troubles, keeps this story of a sister’s cancer from being all doom and gloom. There is much sadness, though, as even this fortunate, wealthy family, with all the restaurants and travel and shopping, experiences so much grief. Sara K. Sheckells’ sophisticated, soothing voice is perfect for this tale of a family that learns what it takes to stay together.