The Time of Her Life

As in all her novels, Dew shows a remarkable ability to get inside the minds of her main characters, letting us see the situation exactly as they see it. Here, she grapples with the effects of (unacknowledged) alcoholism on an attractive, intelligent family that should have everything going for it. She has accurately captured the juvenile narcissism and self-absorption of the addictive personality, whether it is the alcoholic or the partner who enables the problem. Even more impressive is her depiction of the daughter who has to become an adult long before she is ready and suffers acutely as a result. In this, she resembles most children growing up in alcoholic households who are forced into a premature adulthood because their parents, mired in their addictions, refuse to grow up. It is not an easy book to read, but definitely worthwhile if one wants to understand the dynamics motivating parents who make their children responsible for their own problems. Dew handles these circumstances deftly, without making judgments and letting the situation speak for itself.