Canada Reads Book Review: Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott

I REALLY enjoyed this book!! There is a quote from Elizabeth Hay (another great author--> Late nights on Air) on the back cover of Good to a Fault, "...a wise and searching novel about the fine line between being useful and used." PERFECT!

The basic plot: 40 something loaner Clara gets into a car accident with a family (with 3 kids and grandma) who are living out of their car. The mother ends up in the hospital with cancer-not accident related injuries-so what does Clara do-invites the rest of the family to "stay" (live) with her.

While I can't EVER imagine welcoming strangers into my home to live, I adored Clara. I really felt like I was in her head. Endicott does such a good job of allowing you inside Clara's thoughts-like how she seems to think she has no right to feel her feelings-she's always tearing apart her initial reactions to things/people/situations, or how she seems to feel unworthy "She couldn't even be sick successfully". Clara doesn't-or can't-view her actions as kind or good, because she constantly feels like she's not doing enough.

The way Endicott wrote about the children and their feelings, fear, loyalty, happiness...amazing!

I also really liked the theme of "goodness" throughout.

It was heartbreaking at different times, and in different ways at the same time-for all of the characters involved. I liked this book from the first paragraph to the very last.

Definitely my top pick of the Canada Reads books so far!! I still have Nikolski and The Jade Peony to read though!

(Great interview with author Marina Endicott here)