Home Safe, by Elizabeth Berg

Home Safe, by Elizabeth Berg (2009)

I am a big fan of Elizabeth Berg's writing. She has a gift for creating believable characters and exploring the psychology of being humanness in a fictional setting. Her latest book is another winner.

The book introduces readers to Helen Ames, a middle-aged woman is in transition, her husband has just died unexpectedly, her daughter is fighting for her own independence, her father's health is failing and she has a severe case of writer's block. When Helen finds out that her husband spent the bulk of their retirement money one week before his death, the last vestige of normalcy and her old way of being is severed. She must try and find a way to embrace all these changes and we, the readers, get to travel this journey with her.

One of the wonderful aspect of this story is that the heroine is portrayed with all her flaws. She is not a one-dimensional figure who is always right, or always wrong, or always the victim. She is complex, as we all are, and she struggles to become more self aware as her friends and family react to her grieving process.

Despite dealing with many serious issues, the book itself is about life, love, and hope, and an excellent read.