The Unspoken Years

THE UNSPOKEN YEARS by Lynne Hugo July 12, 2006 Rating **** ½ THE UNSPOKEN YEARS by Lynne Hugo is a very intense drama that is told in chronological order, starting from the main character's childhood and into adulthood. The story traces the life of an emotionally torn woman, Ruth, who grows up in a highly dysfunctional household. She and her brother Roger live with their mentally unstable mother, as they travel from town to town, whenever their mother has the need to run away. They do not know who their father(s) is, and are repeatedly told that their mother is a virgin, telling them that they are the products of an Immaculate Conception. Ruth has early memories of a mother who was loving and carefree, but as they grow older, their mother begins to behave erratically. For the most part, their mother creates an emotionally hostile environment in which the two children have to walk on eggshells and live in fear, never knowing whether what they say or do will cause their mother to turn on them. The story is told with the foreshadowing that something awful is going to cause their mother to leave. The prologue takes place in the present, and Ruth, the narrator, alludes to her search of a father who she wouldn't recognize if he passed her on the street, and to the idea that her mother had tried to kill her, just like she too wanted kill her own mother. Chapter one thus starts the long journey as Ruth and her brother suffer under the hands of their mother, trying to make her love them, trying to please her, and always made to feel guilty about one thing or another. Despite the difficult growing up years, Ruth still has some memories that she cherishes, including the time she and her mother stay in a small beachside town in Cape Cod. The town of Truro becomes a symbol of the one place where Ruth has any fond memories of childhood. It is where she returns many years later to deal with her past and to find some peace of mind so she could move on with her future. THE UNSPOKEN YEARS is one book that any reader will not easily forget. The product of a mentally ill mother and an absent father, Ruth becomes a victim and finds that the only way she thinks she can be happy is by pleasing her mother, no matter that it is sucking the life out of her. The reader will pray that Ruth can turn her life around, learn to let her mother go, and live her own life. When Ruth finally meets a man that wants to accept her for who she is, Ruth nearly jeopardizes the relationship by putting her mother's needs first. The conflict between herself and her brother Roger, who "escaped" by being the one that took advantage of a college education, was very interesting to watch, as their arguments on what was right and what was wrong with their mother came into play. Ruth was so filled with guilt and constant remorse, that the thought of abandoning her mother to save herself was not even a valid solution. The reader will see the stark comparison between the two siblin

Lynne Hugo's novel captures the delicate line that children of mentally-ill parents walk in their secret and thankless quest to manage irrational behavior. Her teen heroine, Ruth, sleeps on a couch with her clothes neatly tucked out of sight, waiting for her mother to announce their next move and drag the cardboard box of Ruth's "inheritance" to the car. Even after successfully plotting to go to college, Ruth is careful to return home each weekend to calibrate her mother's equilibrium--until the day she unwittingly commits the unforgiveable sin. I highly recommend this novel for its elegant prose, unforgettable characters, emotional honesty, and unrelenting inevitablility. Bravo, Ms. Hugo.

This is a wonderful "coming of age" novel abot a young girl, "Ruth", coping with her mother's mental illness and abuse while still retaining balance in her own life. Ruth must learn that it can sometimes be impossible to save and please another no matter how hard you try, and how to pick up the pieces and put the same amount of energy back into rebuilding herself. This book allows you to step back and rethink your own "checks and balances" on your life, remembering that no matter how many people you try to please or help, you must remember to put the same amount of energy back into yourself to keep happy. This is a must read for any young lady growing up and anyone one who needs a refresher course on the balance of life.

Growing up in abusive home ruled by a psychotic mother Elizabeth was not easy for Ruth or her brother Roger. Out of nowhere they could by physically punished without any idea what they did. Their mom could become unhinged in a nanosecond while a moment before she was euphoric and happy. For the siblings childhood was not just an unhappy place, it was hell. As an adult Ruth realizes her mother was crazy, but that does not provide any solace to her as she trusts no one; she believes Roger is probably even more unbalanced than she is. Ruth fears relationships especially loving ones as she knows that love hurts. Evan loves Ruth and tries to reach out to her with no success. Still he is there for his beloved and nudges her to open up to him though he doubts she will ever believe that he will always be there for her. This well written novel provides a deep intense and often emotional look at the impact on an adult when they were abused as a child. The graphic story line uses flashbacks to Ruth's mother whose detrimental personality causes seemingly non-repairable harm to her children. Readers will find Ruth fascinating as her fears will shake readers with her concerns she is a chip off the old block and should not have children. She is also afraid she will unable to walk away from an abusive relationship (sounds so simple yet so impossible). Although not for everyone, Lynne Hugo will have her audience ponder long after reading THE UNSPOKEN YEARS how the child becomes the adult. Harriet Klausner

I LOVE THIS BOOK! With what is quickly becoming her trademark style of compassionate wordcraft, Lynne Hugo tells a tale of amazing grace. This is the story of Elizabeth, the "true" believer in amazing grace; Ruth, her daughter trying to cope with her mother's mental illness; and Evan, the man who desperately wishes to give the gift of grace but must patiently wait to see if Ruth can find it and her way back to him. Ruth recounts her history of losing and finding and losing and finding yet again in a matter of fact and heartfelt manner. I laughed and cried as I followed Ruth's chronicle of her conflict between her relationship with her mother and all the dangers and snares that encompassed and her hopes and dreams for a life of her own and a semblance of "normalcy". This account of the affirmation of hope and redemption touched my heart and leaves me eagerly awaiting Ms. Hugo's next release.