I selected this story after reading a short excerpt. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of brothers Abe and Mort and sisters-in-law Helen and Rose. As Jill said, “this story can be about any family”. It transcends cultures. This story is the author’s first. She based some of the events on her grandmother’s tales about her family. The one thing that bothered her most about most (if not all) cultures is their desire to have a boy or treating the boys as princes. Mary Velez shared her own story of her father. He didn’t want to hold the baby, but was forced to when her mother left him alone with the baby and he needed to comfort her. His love for her bloomed. I wonder if father’s want boys because they get to “carry” the paternal family name. 0r ________________ fill in the blank.
Whenever, I hear stories of men wanting sons, I’m reminded of this great song, "El
Gran Varon" by Willie Colon (Google it). The events portrayed in The Two-Family House gives readers many topics to think about: motherhood, nature vs.. nurture, longing, love, betrayal, regret, and the consequences of buried secrets. I believe we touched on most of the topics in our discussion. Thank you bookworms for the insightful conversations.
--- Myrna
