A Simple Thing

August 1, 2012
Susannah Delaney's children are in trouble. Her young son is being bullied at school, and her teenage daughter is under the spell of drink, drugs, and boys. Susannah's solution is to take them away for a year to Sounder Island, off the coast of Washington. She hopes that a year of isolation, off the grid and away from their overextended city life, will provide her children the safety and security they need and help her come to terms with her own haunted past and troubled marriage. Betty Pavalak moved to Sounder more than 50 years ago in an attempt to soothe her own marital troubles. For Betty, Sounder has been a haven, a place for her to make peace with the difficult choices she has made. Susannah and Betty develop an unlikely friendship. Their bridging of experience, wisdom, and outlook initiates a journey of self-discovery for each of them. A Simple Thing is a careful examination of friendship, marriage, and parenting; the choices we all face; and the battle so often waged between love and responsibility.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)