Lost in the Forest

I did not like Lost in the Forest as much as the other Sue Miller novel I read, While I Was Gone. She is a master at "explaining" why people engage in descructive and immoral behavior. The Questions, "What got into her?" and "Where did that come from?" are to a great degree explained.

However, in this book, the misguided and self destructive behaviors of the 15 year old daughter who get's intimately involved with a middle aged man are not as well explained to my mind as the lack of fidelity of the the happily married wife in "While I was Gone". Interestingly, I've noticed some readers making the same comment about about that character as I am making here. The point seems to be that people can understand the emotional drives that they show more themselves feel and cannot understand those that seem remote to them.

Overall, I liked this book. I like the way things were resolved in the end. There was nothing earth shattering or extremely heroic. But there was a nice message of reconcilliation, growth, healing and even redemption through psychotherapy. But since I couldn't identify with the temptations leading the main character into her crisis, I could not appreciate the book all that much. I suppose that's why I can only give it only 3 stars. show less

My initial reaction to this was "mediocre." And then I was left wondering what the point of this story was. I believe the author was trying to examine the aftereffects of a family member's death, but that seemed almost inconsequential when examining this as a whole. It was almost a coming-of-age novel that missed the mark. The sexual relationship between a teenager & an older adult was somewhat disturbing, yes, but I thought even in general, the author seemed a bit more preoccupied with sexual content than necessary. This wasn't a complete waste of time -- the story had its moments, but ultimately it left me feeling very indifferent both to the story itself and to the characters.

I found this book very hard to get through. I felt the parents were incredibly irreponsible. There was also a very sexual tone to the whole book which was off-putting (and not just the explicit stuff). This may have been the author's intent. The father seemed like a complete idiot, but in the end, I guess he is supposed to have grown up (in his forties). The only appealing character was the little boy, Theo. Miller really did a great job with his dialogue and characteriztion - he comes across as a real little boy, and not a cliched cutesy kid. I must say this was my least favourite of Sue Miller's books - I really liked her other books. It make my angry and I did not learn anything new. The character Duncan is one of the most despicable show more I have come across lately! show less

Not something I would have picked up on my own, but that's why I joined a book club, after all. This is the story of a family dealing with a tragedy, each dealing in their own way. The hardest hit is the middle child - her older sister is busy with her own life, her parents don't really understand her - and she struggles with some very self-destructive behavior. I love the way the narrator's voice changes throughout the book, giving you a glimpse at the story from every angle. A quick read, but worth the time invested.

This story is about a family; more specifically about three members of the family. Mark and Eva have two children, Emily and Daisy, when Mark feels compelled to tell Eva of his affair. Eva is not of the forgive-and-forget variety, but she does retain affection for Mark even through their divorce and her eventual remarriage to John. The two have one child together, Theo, and on his many visits to the house Mark becomes fond of the boy too.

Eventually Mark tries to do better. He recognizes that he was not a good husband to Eva. He recognizes, belatedly, that much of the time his daughters (and occasionally Theo) spent with him he did not focus on them. His work developing vineyards took much of his time and interest.

A tragedy hits the new show more couple. John is killed by a drunk driver. Mark makes an effort to be supportive and perhaps more. He holds out hope that he and Eva might get back together in time.

Meanwhile, Emily and Daisy are growing up. Daisy, who has grown tall and gangly, with sharp edges, simply cannot adore her older, smaller, beautiful sister. The two are too different. When she enters high school, Daisy gets involved in many activities but has few friends. The loss of her stepfather was especially hard on her, yet she refuses to let others see her grief.

Ultimately the story centers on Daisy and essentially ends there. She did seem to be "lost in the forest" for a time, like the stories the older members of the family told to Theo. And her life does appear to have run along the same lines as these stories.

Parents can't always prepare their children for what lies ahead, particularly when some things knock them off their centers themselves. show less

Just about a perfect book, I'd say. Perfect seamless rendering of different points of view - was it only Mark and Daisy, or was the mother's in there? Wonderful perspective on marriage, and sexual initiation. A very nuanced, deeply thought-out, moral position.

A quick read that offers the reader a smooth ride through some rather serious, large issues. I found this book to be a nice change of pace from some of the bulkier, more intellectual fare I've been reading. I don't mean to say that this book lacks brains because it certainly doesn't. Reading this book is like putting on a pair of flannel pj's and slipping under the covers on a chilly night, and is in fact what you should read when you do so.