They May Not Mean To, But They Do; Cathleen Schine

They May Not Mean To, But They Do; Cathleen Schine

Macmillan Audio - 2016

Cynthia Darlow (narrator)

They May Not Mean To But, They Do is an intergenerational story about the Bergman family. Joy and Aaron Bergman are now in their golden years having raised their son Daniel and daughter, Molly in New York City.  

The truth is Aaron's health is failing quickly, he suffers from dementia and has been doing some embarrassing things. His wife Joy is strong-willed and believes she can care for him alone at home while maintaining her part-time job at a small Jewish museum. The reality is that's just not possible long term.

Molly, left her husband Doug back in NYC and now is in love with a woman. They have moved across the country to Los Angeles.  Joy misses not having her daughter close by even though Molly does comes home when crisis calls. Daniel and his wife and children still live nearby but, as often is the case parents tend to rely on daughters more than sons in times of crisis.

The novel addresses serious issues yet the author infuses humorous moments among the seriousness of what life is like for aging parents and their adult children.  There are lots of issues and emotions running through this novel: loss, loneliness, money worries and moving on to name a few.  The characters were well developed but, I thought the adult children were a bit annoying at times. They did seem to mean well and wanted to make sure their mother would be okay, but often went about things in a less than ideal way.  The audio book was pleasant to listen to but, the plot seemed to drag a bit at times.

3.5/5 stars

(library audio)