Review: Memorial

Book: "Memorial"
Author: Bruce Wagner

Memorial is a book that makes you to stop and take a deep breath. Each of the four main characters, Marj, Joan, Chess and Ray, are family members with a crisis on their hands. As the book evolves so do the characters, and as we learn more about their lives they begin to grow closer in their relationships with each other. Joan is an architect striving for greatness, Chess seems to float in and out of reality, Marj and Ray are the divorced parents, Ray having left the family years ago. As each family member comes to a breaking point in their particular crisis wealth is bestowed upon them but will newfound wealth bring happiness or further discontent in their lives?

This was a difficult book for me to read, the style of writing left me out of breath and feeling as though something was not quite right. The author's use of strong language made it difficult for me to relate to the characters and be drawn into the story. The humor in this book was not quite what I am used to reading.