Awash with emotion but never drowning in sentimentality.
It wasn’t just a husband that died in the accident. When a drunk driver struck the car, it not only took the life of Sam’s husband but also of her mother-in-law, leaving both Sam and her father-in-law completely bereft. Sam hasn’t yet found the energy to fight back against the isolation and defeat that have been suffocating her for the past two years. So she moves on in whatever way she can, allowing work and a side hobby to occupy her time and blunt her sorrow. But Sam’s mundane routine, her only real coping mechanism, gets an unwanted makeover when her deliberately alienated father-in-law reinserts himself into her life. He comes bearing news of his impending nuptials and hopes that Sam, his only remaining family, will be a part of things. Reluctant to break out of the safety of her solitary lifestyle, she isn’t keen on reopening up such a deep wound. “I married your son. ‘Til death do us part, I believe we said at the ceremony. Well, that has happened. Death has parted us.” Thus, Sam sees herself as freed of this jarring obligation. But the more she discovers about the bride-to-be and her fourfold track record of widow-making, the more her curiosity is piqued. Determined to keep any meaningful relationships at a safe distance, Sam forges ahead, cautiously embracing the daughter-in-law role she’s been unwilling to embody. In the process, her assumptions about family will be completely reshaped.
Daniel Maunz shows no fear in diving headlong into those uncomfortable situations in life we sometimes face but are reluctant to discuss. For example, when a spouse dies, what obligations remain with the family we were bound to only by marriage? In some situations, this might be easy to handle, but others require a level of tact and finesse to wade through the inevitable awkward holiday encounters and unbearable reunions. Sam is a complicated woman dealing with some devastating circumstances, yet she never becomes sulky and continually maintains her sharp wit. As she gets to know her soon-to-be siblings-in-law, her personality really comes alive, making all the dysfunctional interactions as disastrous as they are entertaining. While creating a powerful, poignant, and believable cast of passionate characters, Maunz also develops a plot so engrossing that you’ll be hard pressed to catch your breath between chapters, especially as you approach the novel’s seismic conclusion. Awash with emotion but never drowning in sentimentality, Hyphenated Relations is like the warm bubble bath you’ll never want to leave.
