Her Other Family

Marianna Bolton is a few years shy of thirty, happily married, and secure in the knowledge that she is adopted, until a TV reality show encourages her to locate her biological father, only to find out that she has a large, very different kind of family on the other side of the country.

What prompts a 'good girl' to consider dark behaviors under different conditions? Did Marianna have this dark side to her psyche before; or did it develop in response to her encounters with her 'other family' and their very different values? More importantly: once she lets the beast out, can she return to her old life, if she so chooses?

In some ways Her Other Family is a real surprise as Marianna takes a nearly 180-degree turn in the course of her life and in her personality. As the story line progresses, readers learn that what has initially seemed the structure and focus of her life actually has been only part of her persona.

The transition from building one kind of character into a personality facing some of the biggest changes of her life is well done, leading readers through an unexpected series of choices as Marianna's history and rationales are slowly revealed.

Readers who enjoy psychological depth to their novels and who appreciate receiving many unpredictable twists not just in a story line, but in a protagonist's psyche, will find Her Other Family a well-done, powerful tale that excels in the kind of psychological depth that's hard to find in a typical novel of a young woman's changing path and choices in life.