Saving Grace

Grace Pearson leads a busy life. She’s a mother and a wife who, unfortunately, can’t depend much on her husband. For years she was forced to take care of most things herself, from their children, to paying the bills, even all the work around the house. It all comes to a head when she falls and gets injured. Suddenly she can’t do anything. She’s in constant pain, her independence non-existent. She’s forced to rely on other people. That is quite a shock to poor Grace.
In the beginning of the story, Grace is portrayed as a capable woman, one who knows what she was doing. True, there is the issue of her constant worrying about mostly unimportant things, but when everything goes wrong, when some hard truths are forced to light, some believability and consistency issues develop . Her behavior makes perfect sense when her medical condition is known, but the way the story is told, it is still hard for the reader to identify with. Maybe if it had been told from something other than the first person point of view, it would have been easier to understand and accept, but as things stand, it’s hard to empathize with her. There is sympathy for everything she is going through, but her thought process is completely alien. However, it is a realistic story about a woman learning more about life, her husband and finally (and most importantly) herself.
Ana Smith