Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock

I enjoyed Ms. Flock's other book I read, Me and Emma, so when I saw some of the reviews for Sleepwalking in Daylight, I knew it was something I would want to read. I placed it on hold and picked up this weekend from the library. I have mixed feelings on this book and am not sure what I want to rate it, but I think for now I will give it a B+.

Back cover:
Once defined by her career and independence, stay-at-home mom Samantha Friedman realizes her days have been reduced to errands, car pools, and suburban gossip. It's a role she always assumed she wanted to play, but now Sam has a nagging awarenessthat this may be all there is. Today she deals with a husband who shows up for dinner but is too preoccupied for coversation, and a daughter swathed in black clothing and Goth makeup who won't talk at all.

Believing she's an adopted mistake, seventeen-year-old Cammy has fallen into sex and drugs, and pours herself into a journal filled with poetry and pain. On parallel paths, mother and daughter indulge in desperate, furtive escapism- for Sam, a burgeoning relationship with her supposed soul mate, fueled by clandestine coffee dates and the desire to feel something; for Cammy, a secretive search for her birth mother punctuated by pills, pot and the need to feel absolutely nothing.

This book touched on so many different emotions for me. The story was beautifully written and was raw... and my insides were just turning and twisting when I read this. It was gripping and I had a hard time putting the book down. I had a hard time feeling sorry for Sam and felt like she was incredibly selfish. All she does in complain and whine about her life and how she hates it. I felt like screaming at her at times and saying now is not the time to be selfish... you are losing your daughter and you have two 8 year old twins to worry about. Sam also feels like if she gets a divorce, the kids will be fine. I wanted to scream NO THEY WON'T!!! My parents got divorced right after I got married and it was hard on me, nevermind if I had been a little kid. I just wish parents wouldn't be so blase about divorce and the impact it has on kids. Anyways... it was a good book with a sad but realistic ending that I have come to expect from Elizabeth Flock. Grab the box of Kleenex when you read it though...

Up next is the latest Spellman Files book by Lisa Lutz. I just picked it up from the library and am anxious to jump right back in to the crazy Spellman family. After that it will be a Lisa Jackson novel for the beginning of the read-a-thon. Happy Reading everyone!