WITHIN ARM’S REACH by Ann Naplitano

5 stars

An amazing, luminous, earlier first novel by Naplitano about a sprawling Irish American Catholic family whose elderly matriarch wants to pull everyone back together, particularly in light of a surprise family pregnancy by an unwed mother.

Catharine McLaughlin, a widower turning 80 years old, wants to repair some of the schisms that have driven her large family of children and grandchildren apart. She finally realizes the role she and her controlling husband played in creating this angst, and wants to set things right. Of particular concern to her is her granddaughter Gracie, an advice columnist in her 20’s, known for her promiscuity and now pregnant. There’s also Gracie’s older sister Lila who has stoically pursued a medical career only to find herself alienated not only from her patients but people in general. Gracie’s and Lila’s parents are both alienated from their daughters and alienated in their marriage, and both have embarked on trying to figure out who they are and where they can find love.

In alternating chapters with candid first-person narration, we get quickly drawn into this cast of characters, their complicated family history over the past three generations, and how much each struggles to find both their external voice and fulfilling path in life. Replete with Irish ghosts of dead relatives that only some can see, the expectations of an immigrant family, and need to overcome the guilt that has been inherited along with their Catholicism.

For anyone who loves Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful, Naplitano’s later best-selling books, this is a must read.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.