Review: A Complicated Life In A Small Town – Tammy Maas
When Lydia Lawson left home at the mere age of eighteen, she never imagined coming back some day. Her alcoholic parents ruined what little childhood she had, scarring her for the rest of her life. Her memories are so full of pain that she refuses to remember the smallest details of things that brought her pleasure. In her mind, she’s better off not remembering anything at all. Things hurt less that way.
When her mother dies unexpectedly, she’s forced to reconsider her return to the one place she never wanted to be in the first place. Against her better judgment, she goes back. Never once did she imagine the horrors that awaited her behind its closed doors.
In addition to inheriting her mother’s assets, Lydia discovers that her mother has left behind one tiny little detail that changes everything. Her twenty-one-year-old half sister is living in the house’s basement, unable to leave the bed she’s been sleeping in for the past ten years. She’s grown too big in order to be able to walk up the stairs. Her sister’s true origins are also unknown as her mother never left any traces as to who Lily’s true father was scattered around.
Despite the circumstances surrounding her sister’s birth, Lydia knows she’ll need to make the most of the situation. Lily, on the other hand, has other ideas. In her mind, Lydia is a threat to her existence and she’ll do anything to thwart her sister’s plans. Lydia, with no other course of action but accept the current situation, decides to help Lily find her place in the world. To do so, she’ll need to change the way Lily lives her life, even if she refuses to do so, for the moment.
As Lydia delves into her mother’s secrets, she finds herself drawn to her childhood friend, Tommy Porter. She loved him once and she’s very sure she could do so yet again. He’s her rock when she needs him the most, offering her his support every step of the way. As they grow closer, the secrets of the past soon come light and Lydia realizes that she may have gotten more than she really bargained for.
I found this book quite intriguing. It’s subject is one people don’t really know about and it was quite refreshing in learning about a disease that ultimately affects all parties involved. I think Tammy did a good job in creating the world surrounding her characters and the emotions they shared were felt across every page. I did note quite a few instances where the grammar and punctuation needed a little fixing. The book, in itself, is a good read, though.
Synopsis:
The road to hell really is paved with good intentions.
Bitter that she was robbed of her childhood, at age eighteen, Lydia Lawson severed all communication ties with her alcoholic parents. Her father commits suicide one year after she leaves home.
Twenty-three years later she receives word that her mother is dead and that she has inherited more than just the family home. Lily, a twenty-one-year-old, morbidly obese half-sister with Prader-Willi Syndrome, is found in the basement, too big to move out of the home.
Lydia sets out on a life-changing journey trying to help Lily, trying to find Lily s father and trying to find herself. In the interim, she falls in love with Tommy Porter who remains with her right up to the climatic, mind-blowing reveal at the end.
Available for purchase via the following retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Rainstorm Press.
About The Author:
Tammy Maas is a writer who moonlights as a domestic Goddess. Her debut Novella, A Complicated Life in a Small Town, is slated for publication on 2-27-2012. Tammy ghost writes for several online clients. She was published by Oatmeal Studios, and was a writer/photographer for Houston County News. Check out her blog at: http://animaasity.weebly.com.
