cover image In Search of a Quite Place

In Search of a Quite Place

Phyllis C. Gobbell. B&H Publishing Group, $8.95 (240pp) ISBN 978-0-8054-7323-0

At 50, after three decades of marriage, Rosemary is still seeking her identity, posing interior questions at odds with her exterior image of housewife and mother. At the core of this pedestrian novel, which moves backwards to Rosemary's youth, is her inability to express her feelings. By default, Rosemary is the dominant partner in the marriage; with machine-like competency she shoulders the burden of raising two daughters and a son. Hopes dashed by the daughters' apparent defection, Rosemary faces disappointment in her son who chooses the ministry for his career. Two traumatic eventsher husband's blinding in an accident and her own breakdownhelp Rosemary to realize the values in her family and to view her relationships in a more realistic fashion. Meant to be inspirational, this treatment of what is popularly termed ""midlife crisis'' is bland in tone and, like the protagonists, lacking in appeal. (July)