Tuesday, Aug 25, 2009

Book Review: More Than It Hurts You by Darin Strauss

Author:  Darin Strauss

Publisher:  Plume/Penguin

ISBN #:  978-0-452-29552-0

Type:  Fiction

Pages:  401 Trade Paperback

Published:  Reprint Ed. 6/30/09 (6/19/08)

Website:  http://www.darinstrauss.com/

Purchase:  $9.94 (HERE) 

The Story

Josh Goldin’s happy, successful life takes an unexpected turn for the worse when his 8-month old baby is rushed into the emergency room.  As baby Zack is being treated for life-threatening symptoms, Josh is faced with meeting the head doctor, Dr. Darlene Stokes.  His wife, Dori, once a phlebotomist, interjects her concerns and accusations of mishandling of Zack’s condition by the hospital.  All of the medical language is more than Josh can understand.  But, what he does understand is that his wife believes that the hospital wants to put Zack through more invasive procedures to get to the bottom of what caused this baby to code.  Dori convinces Josh to decline further testing and they leave with Zack.  Dr. Darlene Stokes, sends the police right after them to return the child to the hospital.

Dr. Darlene Stokes, an African American woman, has a difficult and detailed past.  Despite being raised without a father, she succeeds in her academic and social lives.  She eventually marries Leo, a white Jewish man, whom she met in college.  Together, they have a son, James.  Their short-lived marriage is followed by Leo’s untimely death.  A single mother with a son, she just can’t put her finger on what happened that night with Baby Zack and his mother Dori.  And, she won’t let it go.

Some time later, another event occurs wth Baby Zack that leads him back to the emergency room.  This time, Dr. Darlene Stokes takes no hesitation in contacting Child Protective Services (CPS) because she believed that Dori suffers from Munchausen syndrome, a syndrome in which the afflicted person intentionally injures their child(ren) to bring attention to themself.  Shortly thereafter, CPS removes the child from the home after an investigation that led to evidence that implicating Dori’s wrong-doing.

There is not only the battle of protecting Zack, but there is also a racial battle in the undertow of the legal process.  Perhaps if the Goldin’s truly knew the truth about Darlene Stoke’s life, there would be a bridge to greater understanding.  The ending of this story will both surprise and infuriate you.

The Review

This father of twins (boys), writes a story from a father’s point of view.  Josh wants to love his wife, believe her, and believe in her.  He chooses to support her and provide a united front, a strong couple, in the face of adversity.  And, I enjoyed reading the story from that perspective…. the perspective of a man, husband, and father who is the good guy in the story.  Because the mother in this one is questionable, at best!

The writing was exemplatory…. very well written story.  There were really two stories intertwined within the novel.  There is the story of the Goldin family… Josh, Dori and Zack.  In addition, there is the story of Dr. Darlene Stokes, her son James, her father “Intellegent Mohammed,” and her mother.  What Strauss provides are the histories of both families that face each other on opposite sides of a courtroom.  This enables the reader to really understand what is at stake for both parties, as well as Baby Zack.

The subject matter is heavy.  As a mother of twins, it is difficult for me to imagine any mother harming their child(ren).  This really made it difficult for me to find any amount of sympathy for The Goldins.  I kept wishing that Josh would put 2 and 2 together, leave his wife, and go get his child to raise on his own.  But, at the same time I understood his need to believe in his marriage.  I also felt sad for Darlene.  She had such a successful life in so many ways, yet a sadness that was the truth of her life in her lack of connections to family and friends. 

This is a book that takes a lot of your heart and much of your mind to get through.  But, I found it to be a solid book, well written, and with a story that is quite memorable.

The Rating

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale,” I am giving More Than It Hurts You a rating of 8 out of 10.  As mentioned above, I found the book to be very well written.  I think that the rating really reflects moreso how the book made me feel afterward… just kind of sad and concerned about these mothers in our world who would actually harm their babies.  It’s a difficult pill for me to swallow!

Giving Thanks

My heartfelt thanks to the publisher for presenting me with the opportunity review this riveting read. 

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