An emotional and introspective experience.
Over many decades of marriage, Frank and Angie Raffaelo have created a home filled with love and family. But the years have not been entirely carefree for this aging couple. Grief, depression, and regret are their constant companions and time proves to be an unrelenting force. When Frank falls from a ladder and earns a stay in the hospital, he has no choice but to reckon with the limitations imposed by his nearly 80 years. And Frank isn’t the only one dealing with a seismic change in circumstances. Keen to ignore the emotional cost of the persistent stresses in life, Angie does her best to avoid dealing with problems, even when they can no longer be ignored. Their daughter, Marissa, may be a wife and a mother, but this woman can’t seem to break free of the little girl persona assigned to her by her mother and father. Still, as a medical professional, Marissa acts as a caregiver to her parents, even when they don’t particularly welcome her help. Putting her own needs and assumptions aside, Marissa will do whatever it takes to meet the shifting obligations within her family, though these sacrifices will come at a substantial cost. The other Raffaelo siblings step up in their own way, proving the durability of this Midwest family.
Heartrending and realistic, The Weight We Carry is a portrait of a typical family handling extraordinary adversity with atypical fortitude. This emotionally rich character study peels back the curtain on a subject most of us are loath to think much about until we absolutely need to. From Frank’s frustrating physical decline to Angie’s pressing cognitive degradation, the toll it takes on each family member is examined in the context of their own situation. Especially heartbreaking is the way Angie’s personal relationships with her husband, children, and grandchildren are affected. A deliberate choice in the book’s structure that has a tremendous impact is the subtle chapter titles. Often they are named Frank or Marissa when the focus of that section of the story is reflected in the narration, but when the title is simply an impersonal and empty Her, the implications are intense. This reading journey is an emotional and introspective experience because even though the story is fictional, the setbacks are all too real for many families. An inside look at the evolution of one resilient family, The Weight We Carry will impel you to evaluate how you relate to family members and urge you to appreciate every moment.
