“…she was standing on the tree lawn in her robe and a pair of her son Trip’s tennis shoes, watching their house burn to the ground.”  Now there’s an opening for you.

Set in the idyllic town of Shaker Heights, Ohio, whose residents basically crafted their own little utopia. They carefully planned a community designed to reflect their values. But utopia’s seemingly perfect setting stems from a set of rules and conditions.

Enter the disruptors Mia Warren and her 15-year-old daughter, Pearl. The story weaves a tale of the long-time residents, the Richardsons and the newcomers, the Warrens.  Elena Richardson rented the Warrens a home she owned in town.  Pearl Warren became friends with the Richardson children, and even dates one of them. The two families become even more entwined when Mia Warren becomes a part-time housekeeper for the Richardsons. 

The Warrens and Richardsons have two distinct ideologies and as the story develops you can feel the conflict swirling around even before the catalyst arrives on the scene, an infant baby girl abandoned at the local fire station.

We read this book for our April book club and most of the members enjoyed the novel. Unlike many reviews of the book, we didn’t find that the race issue, a Chinese baby being adopted by an American couple, the McCulloughs, was the main topic of the story.  We all felt that the story was about clashing family values and what happens when everyone is shouting, but no is listening. We did discuss the adoption of a Chinese baby to a white family, but really felt the story lay at the feet of Elena Richardson and Mia Warren. 

It’s so easy to judge other people and find fault in their morals and values. But sometimes you need to open your own ears and really listen.  Sometimes you’re not as far apart as you think.

Let it be….

Rating: 8.0