Ordinary Human Failings – Megan Nolan (Audio book narrated by Jessica Regan)

Carmel Green at 15 is bright, a good student, an avid reader, the daughter of John and Rose. Her half brother Ritchie is a good bit older the product of John’s first marriage. We know early on, in 1990s London, that Carmel’s ten year old daughter is Lucy, born out of wedlock, and conceived in Waterford, their hometown in Ireland. The whole family ended up moving to England shortly before Lucy’s birth. This is a lovely but often sad book about how each family member wound up being the person she or he is, living rather separate existences within the house in a state of dysfunction — at least until there is a terrible wake up call. We cause each other ordinary pain due to our ordinary human failings. We don’t live up to our potential or our dreams or our plans due to our ordinary human failings. We miss or are totally negligent as to what we are doing to those nearest to us, those who need us most. For the Greens, when Rose, the kind caretaker in the family, the one who bore for others the trauma and problematic behavior died, no one regrouped. No one filled in. And then, a three year old in their housing complex dies and the much ignored and neglected Lucy seems to be involved. How do those who remain, John, Ritchie and Carmel respond? How do they interact with Tom, a reporter hellbent on getting the story of the family that possibly spawned a ten year old murderer? Along the way, we travel back to the life experiences of each member of the family in a kaleidoscope of moving and engrossing stories. This is a book that could have gotten boring, the way it’s described here, but it never did. I listened to the audio version and very much enjoyed Jessica Regan’s narration. This is not a very long book, but there is tremendous depth and humanity and sympathy for each person in each story told. And through all the sadness, we find hope that the chain of despair can be broken as unexpected people unexpectedly do better. Just. An Amazing book.