The author is highly insightful into the human experiences of love, its breakdown, the hurt of loss, and the process of adjustment and recovery. The book is a deeply moving story in that it covers the perspective of all main characters involved, and thus, it is a gripping read from start to finish.

Like many migrants from Europe in the 1950s, Mother could not speak English. The women who lived through that time suffered hardship due to a lack of language and work skills.

This powerful gripping emotionally charged narrative provides insights of a family who have experiences that will shake each family to the core…. People who themselves are migrants or who have experienced the death of a partner at an early age.. or who have a parent with mental illness will instantly identify with the situation in Calel.

Absolutely engrossing, I was compelled to read on through this story because it was so personal and real.

The writing grabbed me by the throat and pulled me unresisting into the narrative. I was hooked from the first words and by the end of the third chapter when yet another shocking element entered the narrative, I was panting for more…