The Magic of Found Objects

 

Shirley J.         Adult Fiction              Woodstock,  Settling, New Age Logic

The Magic of Found Objects: A Novel by Maddie Dawson    365 pages      

Phronsie Linnelle was born out of a found temporary relationship formed at Woodstock.   Her mother a blithe hippie spirit and her father on his last hoorah before marrying his hometown sweetheart.   That didn't happen, at least not then.   After Woodstock and her Mom getting pregnant there, Phronsie's father married her mother, bringing her to his home town to his parent' house to try and make a go of it.  Slap in the face to his hometown sweetheart and no way for Phronsie's mom to make friends in town, whose inhabitants saw her as a harlot who sirened Phronsie's Dad away from their local girl.   After a couple of years of dealing with being ostracized and finding out that her husband was a born to the sod farmer with major anger issues and no sense of fun nor obviously any interest in being much of a lover. Like the wind her mother decided it was time to blow in a new direction.   She left taking Phronsie and her brother with her and makes a new life for all of them, however, Papa Bear with the bad temper is not going to stand for that.   His overbearing personality, his threats and anger eventually causes Phronsie's mom to break and she lets him take the kids, who naturally feel abandoned.   Over the years they come to hate their mom for bailing on them.   She never visits.   She broke her promise to come get them.   She doesn't even call.    Every birthday and Christmas goes by without a word.   Of course later they find out their Dad destroyed her letters and gifts.   Wouldn't let her visit nor talk to the kids.  She being a hippie type didn't have the funds to legally fight him for custody.    Of course the kids don't know any of this.   They grow up and Phronsie particularly has a hard time with relationships.   So much so that she and her best male friend come to an agreement that since neither of them can find a decent romantic relationship they will just marry each other and instead of love they will have friendship and do better than their friends whose "love" relationships are mostly ending in divorce.  But is that really going to work?    In theory, yeah, but Phronsie feels like there should be more, shouldn't there?   They make great friends, but, there is no spark between them.    Seems like something major is missing here.   And now that they are engaged they don't even seem like they are friends like they used to be.        I recommend this to young adults.    A cautionary tale that friends don't always make the best bed fellows.