Conscience Point

Today is one of those days where all of creation speaks of God's glory. The sun is shining, the wind is just a bit crisp, and the bright colors of fall are starting to fade. This is my absolute favorite kind of weather; it reminds me why I love living in Wisconsin. The kids have off of school today and tomorrow, so it adds to the holiday-esque feeling in the air. Doogie is spending the day at my dad's. Molly is spending the day with her boyfriend, Jesse, and Mia and I are watching The Powerpuff Girls Season One and munching on Cheetos. We picked up her pumpkin from the store last night; she of course had to get the biggest one. Jesse is going to carve it with her tonight. The weather is supposed to be just like this tomorrow, perfect for trick-or-treating. I'll post pictures of Mia in her princess costume tomorrow. For now, you'll have to make do with this hilarious pic I found on Cute Overload.com.

Conscience Point by Erica Abeel is one of those literary novels that's difficult to describe in just a few sentences. Madeleine Shaye thinks her life is just about perfect. She's a successful concert pianist who also works as a reporter for a national cultural arts TV show. Her daughter Laila is going throw normal college-age growing pains but is her best friend. And her long time lover Nick is still just as charming as when she met him thirty years ago. Together they live in his Hamptons mansion from the book title. But cracks begin to form in the foundation of her world, and Madeleine is shaken to the core as everything that matters is taken away until all that is left is self. Conscience Point serves as more than the name of Nick's family home, it's also an excellent description for the narration of this dreamlike novel. Abeel does a wonderful job of portraying just how caught up in our own narrative we can get not seeing the truth of situations are realizing how other people may view the same circumstances. The writing is almost stream of consciousness at times, with a fevered, dream-like quality. The reader is carried along with Maddy's intense emotions until she comes to find strength and purpose within herself. It's an astonishing narrative of one woman's life.

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