Unlived Affections

By George Shannon

Book Overview

A compelling story of a father and son, each finding themselves, and the courage it takes to live the truth. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555832997
• ISBN13: 9781555832995
• Release Date: December 1995
• Publisher: Alyson Books
• Length: 104 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.5" x 5.5"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Letters of revelation

Just before his eighteenth birthday, and a few weeks before he is due to leave Ottawa for Nebraska and college, Willie's Grandmother (Grom) dies. She had been ill for some months and he had helped care for her. Willie had been raised by his grandmother, his mother having died when he was very young, and his father, he was told by Grom, deserted his mother before he was born, and subsequently died, and Grom made it abundantly clear that that was no loss. While clearing out their home following Grom's death Willie stumbles upon a box of letters, which turn out to be from his supposedly dead father to his mother. Willie spends the night reading the letters, and quickly learns that all he has been told is far from the truth, the letters reveal to him a father and a mother he never knew. The book comprises almost entirely Willie's reading of the letters, interspersed with his own comments and understandings, including his reaction to the discovery that his father is gay and has found love with a young man. He also begins to comprehend better his reluctance to pursue the relationship with his girl friend Libby. This is an absorbing story, and one cannot but feel for Willie's father, Bill, as he openly expresses himself to his estranged wife, nor fail to sympathise with the anger and confusion felt by Willie. I found this a very moving and rewarding story.

?Do You Know Where Your Parents Are?

Learning that your parents are human is hard enough. But, when you think your father was dead and he turns out to have been living another life elsewhere, your world can turn upside-down. After Willie's grandmother dies, he discovers a treasure trove of letters from his father to his mother. Gradually working his way through the one-sided history of his parents' relationship, he discovers that everybody has been lying to him. His father did not die as he was told he did. Instead, his father found love with another man. This compelling story about a young man discovering a father he never knew forces us to acknowledge the importance of the image we have of our own families.