In Dahlia's Wake

by Yona Zeldis McDonough

Book Overview

Readers who love the books of Sue Miller and Elizabeth Berg will be unable to put down this powerful, intensely moving novel about a couple trying to rebuild their lives after the death of their... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0099429225
• ISBN13: 9780099429227
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: ARROW BOOKS LTD
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.8" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

Great character development and plot

I picked up this book at the library by chance and started to feel very connected to Naomi (Dahlia's mother) and Lillian (the other woman) very quickly. I loved how each chapter is told from a different character's point of view - although Estelle (Naomi's mother/Dahlia's g-mother) I found slightly boring. Other than that, a good read for the beach or on a plane.

One action causes a Reaction

On action leads to a reaction and then another and another until the world is suddely crashing down at your feet. For instance, a woman talking on a cell phone not watching where she is driving; a little girl bending over to tie her shoes in the car ahead of her-- the sound of cracking; a quick break of the neck; a small heart stops beating. Thus--the beginning of "In Dahlia's Wake," or should I say the ending. One minute we're moving perfectly along in life, balanced, eating breakfast, going for a nice little drive in the car, and the next minute our life is turned up side down. Dahlia is at the wrong place at the wrong time--and because of this a family is ripped apart and dies as well. Yes, in one minute, one second, our lives can change; and the pain can become unbearable. ...Like snapping the bud off a perfectly strait, vibrant tulip will subbenly end its life. Rick will never forget the sound--a simple snap, something cracking like a wishbone, only it wasn't a wishbone, it was his daughter, Dahlia's small neck breaking like a vibrant tulip. One action causes a reaction... Rick and Naomi's marriage begins unraveling. Why stay together when your child is dead? Naomi is cold, withdrawn, and blames Rick for their daughter's death. Now she will never bring Dahlia for her first bra, meet her very first boyfriend, shop for a prom dress, or have grand children; because Dahlia is dead--dead--dead! Naomi has an affair with the doctor who delivers the horrifying news--"I am so sorry about your daughter. I wish I could have done something." Rick has sex with his secretary. He needs to feel something. Anything will do. The world is dark, chaotic, and out of control. In one minute, one second, and entire world can crash at our feet. The good news is-- there is hope waiting to fill the hopelessness. Even in the midst of the darkest hour, hope can pour through the night with light; can give Naomi and Rick a second chance--even without Dahlia. "Furthur up the hill were the two church spires Naomi loved--one Catholic, and the other Protestant.Neither belonged to her, and yet somehow, they both did--separate or together, she asked herself again--maybe there was no definite answer." Sometimes we need to cling to hope, faith, and love. There is no possible rationale for the death of a child, nothing that is conceivable or answerable. our actions must create reactions of continuity, persistence, and living on...

From The Heart of Life

I have to be honest, when I was first asked to read this work I wanted to decline. I suppose, with all the sadness happening in the earth today, I just did not want to read a tear-jerker about the death of a child. However, as it sat in my reading pile I decided to give it a try and I am glad that I did. Author Yona McDonough's novel certainly touches on the death of 7-year Dahlia in a freak accident, but the true essence of the story surrounds the grieving parents, Rick and Naomi, and the events that this tragic happening brought about in their lives. Rick, who is ridden with guilt since he was driving that day, feels separated from Naomi, who herself is struggling to cope with the emptiness inside.. Thrown further and further apart, both of these people seek solace in others. Naomi, who is volunteering at the hospital her daughter died , finds comfort in the very doctor who informed her that her daughter was dead. Rick, a podiatrist turns to his helper Lillian, who herself desperately needs a man to lean on and is drawn to the wandering soul of Rick. So the drama begins, and lives are touched and changed in ways that neither Rick nor Naomi thought possible, including their own. The author does an outstanding job in examining the minds and hearts of each character. She brings forth raw emotions, the unbridled grief and anger, fear and frustration that burns inside of them; and shows the often tragic consequences of being lead by these feelings and how far reaching they can become in all the lives they touch. I recommend this work, it reaches deep into the heart and soul of the grieving spirit, shows wisdom from unexpected sources and actually leaves you with a deep respect and understanding for those who have walked this road. Shirley Johnson Senior Reviewer MidWest Book Review

deep look at grieving an unexpected loss

In the months since their seven-year-old daughter Dahlia died podiatrist Rick and schoolteacher Naomi Wechsler have grown apart rather than finding comfort with one another. Neither can explain to the other how they feel; as each day passes, the estrangement widens. Overwhelmed with obsessive grief and ignoring Rick's censure, Naomi quits teaching to volunteer at the Holy Name of Jesus Hospital where Dahlia died. Unable to obtain solace from Rick because she holds him culpable since he was driving when the accident that killed Dahlia occurred, Naomi turns to Dr. Michael McBride for consolation; he informed the couple that their child died. Rick feels guilty over Dahlia's death, but also believes that Naomi blames him for the death. Needing comfort, he turns to office assistant single mother Lillian whose ex has let down their eleven year old son again; Lillian finds warmth and understanding in his arms. Remorse over cheating on top of his feeling guilty for the death forces Rick to confess his affair; this drives Naomi further over the edge as she considers philandering with Michael. Will she cheat or forgive? IN DAHLIA'S WAKE is a deep look at grieving an unexpected loss of a beloved preadolescent child by her parents. The lead couple has been close since college handling rough situations like Naomi's miscarriages as a team, but Dahlia's death is different. They mourn their loss in dissimilar manners, which cause a schism that feeds on the other's personal grief. Although an unnecessary improbable final spin occurs and several pivotal moments seem contrived to make infidelity to easy an option, family drama fans will appreciate this strong look at loss. Harriet Klausner

Bittersweet Novel About Grief and Its Effects

When I first started reading this book, I thought the storyline would center on Dahlia, a seven year-old girl tragically killed in a freak car accident. Instead, the book's focus was split between the parents (Rick and Naomi Weschler) and those closest to them-Rick's office manager (Lillian), the doctor who pronounced Dahlia's death (Michael), and Naomi's aging mother, Estelle. Yona McDonough portrays each character's grief without overdoing it, giving them very human faults that cause them to make selfish choices because of this grief. These choices not only affect them and their marriages, but the lives of the other people around them. For instance, Michael and Naomi's choice to have an affair changed Michael's daughter's life forever. I enjoyed reading this book. It was well written, with believable characters and a strong message. My kind of book.