It is human nature to search for a reason when a tragedy occurs. Even those who truly believe in fate, need someone or something to explain away the unexplainable. We can not accept, nor should we accept, that a child's death or disfigurement was "meant to be." Sometimes, however, the search for reasons takes as great a toll as the tragedy itself. In The Fall: A father's memoir in 424 steps, Diogo Mainardi's search for those to blame for his son's deformity has him blaming everyone and everything including himself. The book shows an equal amount of grief and courage and makes me wonder if eventually finding the villain makes it easier or more difficult to go on.
Mainardi also sees the beauty in his son and in the condition with which he was forced to live. I have always believed that it is important to see the good in every situation in order to
be happy. Sometimes we all need to be reminded of that, and this book was my latest reminder.
I was also reminded today that one of my favorite authors, Andrew Gross is bringing back one of my favorite characters, detective Ty Hauck. The book, One Mile Under, is due to be published April 7, 2015, and I can't wait. If you haven't met Ty yet, check out some of Gross' past books featuring him. I promise you a good time.
Speaking of a good time, Arthur and I are excitedly planning ours. We leave Tuesday for nine days in Paris. We have never been to France, and plan to enjoy every romantic minute. A little side trip to Amsterdam will round out our European vacation. I have got a list of sites we want to see, but mostly we want to stroll down the streets, eat lots of croissants, find the perfect piece of art in Montmartre and maybe buy a great pair of shoes(last part is my idea).
I am not sure about the internet access in my hotel, so this might be my last Thru My Looking Glass for two weeks. I do plan to do lots of reading on the bank of the Seine, so I promise to come back with lots to report.
Happy reading,
- Beverly