The Hope In Leaving

Product Description

Handsome Jack is a logger, nomad,aand born dreamer. His young wife, Simone,ahas too many kids and never enough moneyato support or protect them. The family keepsaon the move, shedding a grand total of twenty-seven homes. Their first child, Randy, isasensitive and brilliant and bold, protector ofahis younger siblings, the fearless star of theirachildhood adventures and misadventures-until something snaps inside him. The second child who comes a year after him, ouranarrator Barbara, is the lucky one, who canadream of getting out. Every time the familyarelocates, she feels othe hope in leaving andadoing better next time.o Poverty, mental illness, sexual abuse,aand injustice pursue them wherever they go.aThey live small-town life hard and suffer,amost of all Randy. The great surprise ofaTheaHope in Leavingaisn't that these characters descend increasingly into isolation and strife,abut that despite this they remain a family,athat there is always the spark of wit in theirabanter, and a kind of closeness no matterawhat happens, even a sense of normalcy.aGradually, the reader comes to understandawhyaThe Hope in Leavingais a book that had to beawritten. In it, Williams proves beyond doubtathat there is one thing that can survive theaworst of life and even death itself- love without judgment.Handsome Jack is a logger, nomad,aand born dreamer. His young wife, Simone,ahas too many kids and never enough moneyato support or protect them. The family keepsaon the move, shedding a grand total of twenty-seven homes. Their first child, Randy, isasensitive and brilliant and bold, protector ofahis younger siblings, the fearless star of theirachildhood adventures and misadventures-until something snaps inside him. The second child who comes a year after him, ouranarrator Barbara, is the lucky one, who canadream of getting out. Every time the familyarelocates, she feels othe hope in leaving andadoing better next time.o Poverty, mental illness, sexual abuse,aand injustice pursue them wherever they go.aThey live small-town life hard and suffer,amost of all Randy. The great surprise ofaTheaHope in Leavingaisn't that these characters descend increasingly into isolation and strife,abut that despite this they remain a family,athat there is always the spark of wit in theirabanter, and a kind of closeness no matterawhat happens, even a sense of normalcy.aGradually, the reader comes to understandawhyaThe Hope in Leavingais a book that had to beawritten. In it, Williams proves beyond doubtathat there is one thing that can survive theaworst of life and even death itself- love without judgment.
BARBARA WILLIAMS is a Canadian musician and actress. Early in her career, Williams starred in the films Thief of Hearts and City of Hope. She won a Canadian Emmy Award for Best Actress for the telepic Mother Trucker. She was a member of the Resident Theatre Company in Vancouver, and among her more than thirty stage roles, she portrayed Amelia Earhart in the musical Amelia at Canada's National Arts Center, Joan Baez at the Met Theatre in Los Angeles, and Lady Macbeth in La Jolla, California, under Tony Award winner Des McAnuff's direction. As a musician she has performed in the United States and Canada, often in concerts devoted to peace, workers' rights, and the environment. The Hope in Leaving is her first book. She lives and works in Los Angeles with her husband, Tom Hayden, and her son, Liam.