Requiem, Mass by John Dufresne - Review

I just finished reading Requiem, Mass by John Dufresne yesterday, and I have to say that the ending of the book surprised me! I know I wrote up a little mini-review yesterday, but I really thought that the rest of the book was going to be the same way. Oh well... on with the review!

Synopsis

Requiem, Mass takes place in a small town that happens to be the name of the title. This book is posted as a fiction piece, but has the feel of a memoir. Johnny and his sister, Audrey are growing up with their not so sane mother, Frances. Their father, an over the road truck driver, takes off for weeks and months at a time, only coming home for a week stretch and leaving when Frances starts acting up again, even though Johnny begs him to stay with the family. Johnny and Audrey are cared for by their neighbors, but the nuns who teach their school begin to get suspicious. As suspicion grows, so do Johnny and Audrey's chances of being taken by the Welfare Department. After Frances has a particularly horrific episode, she is shipped off to the hospital, and the children are to spend the holidays with their father - with his secret family in Louisiana. I really don't want to give the rest of the book away - you'll have to read it when it hits bookshelves in July!!!

Review

In the beginning of Requiem, Mass, I felt that the story jumped around from past to present a lot without very much warning. I don't know if it's because I got the feel for Dufresne's writing style or if the content actually changed, but the second half of the book seemed to flow much better than the first half. Either way, if you can keep up, this is a very emotional read. John Dufresne captures the heartbreaking dysfunction of a family in serious crisis and turns it into something that we can all relate to. I'm sure we all know someone who resembles at least one of the characters in this story, and that's one of the aspects that makes Requiem, Mass such a fascinating read. I felt very heavy hearted throughout most of the book because of the obstacles that Johnny and Audrey had to go through with their own parents just to get attention that they never really seemed to get.

This story reminded me a little bit of Augusten Burrough's memoirs, with the nutty mother, absent father, and strange sibling, growing up in small town Massachusetts. What sets the two authors apart is that Dufresne's story has a little more normalcy and a little less comedy in it. Requiem, Mass is a heartfelt story of psychological disorder, abandonment, family, and overcoming the obstacles that may come. I give this heartbreaking read FOUR stars!

Check out John Dufresne's website or his blog for more information!