I have enjoyed reading Joanna Trollope’s books about contemporary life for years. In The Other Family, she explores the effects upon two families of a man’s death.
At the death of Richie Rossiter, a musician who used to be famous, his partner Chrissie is horrified to find that he has left his piano and a substantial part of his assets to his first family–Margaret, his first wife, and his son Scott.
The book follows the reactions of both families. This disposition awakens in Chrissie a sense of further insecurity, one that has always existed, since he refused a divorce and never married her. In fact, although she wears a wedding ring, it is one she bought herself. She is hostile toward Margaret and Scott and doesn’t even want them to attend the funeral. She has also been left to pay taxes that she would not otherwise have been liable for, so her family will have to make do with less money.
Margaret, on the other hand, feels better in realizing that she has not been forgotten. She has continued to live close to the humble roots that she and Richie rose from, and has founded an established business. She is a more mature woman than Chrissie, and she has been ambitious and successful, but feels she needs a change in her life.
Two of Chrissie’s daughters are not well-developed characters, but Amy, Chrissie’s youngest daughter, becomes fascinated by her half-brother Scott and tentatively reaches out to him.
As always, Trollope does a good job of portraying the complexities and messy relationships of modern life.
What? Me Read? 