We start out with a pregnant girl giving birth in a clinic, and leaving. We follow her baby to a foster family and later an adoptive family. We see things from her adoptive mother's point of view, who has lost her baby so recently that she is still producing milk. We see it from the point of view of the jealous adoptive father. And then we are shown the three month old baby's point of view, which was oddly cynical and a little bitchy for a newborn. But for me, the real star of the show was Bina. I thought getting her perspective in the book made it so much more interesting. So often in family dramas the parents are to blame for everything and their perspective and experience, especially as middle-aged members of the unit, are often overlooked. That was not the case here. I loved Bina so much even though in initial chapters told from the perspective of her children I thought I would not. Her struggles were so real and the pressures put on her by her culture, society, and experience as an immigrant made for such an interesting character. I thought she was an amazingly strong woman and would love to go to one of her coveted Chats Over Chai meetings!

Happy Family by Tracy Barone | Goodreads

Five shining stars for this touching portrait of an Indian-American family living in Atlanta and all coming to terms with what their family history and individual experiences within the unit of their family means for them and for their mental well-being. Saumya Dave brings her personal experience as a psychiatrist to the table and the execution of what could have been a monumental task is nearly flawless. Happy Family is full of anything but. Cheri Matzner is the middle-aged version of a child abandoned in an inner city health clinic. Her marriage is in shambles, and, to make matters worse, childless. Her relationship with her parents is, put nicely, complicated, and with little hope of repair as her father has recently passed. Those same parents were the ones who adopted baby Cheri, after suffering a hopeless tragedy that leaves one of them feeling ostracized from the family unit.I really didn't care for this book. Two things I dislike are knowing the ending to a thriller and having to push myself to finish a book. Cheri Matzner's life is in a bit of turmoil. She and her filmmaker husband are barely speaking yet she's trying to have a baby, her job as a professor of comparative religions is in jeopardy (but all she really wants is a spot on a crew slated to head to Iraq to catalog and translate antiquities), and she's trying to keep her overbearing, functionally alcoholic mother from throwing her a 40th birthday party. Barone is a tremendously talented writer, and I found myself so wrapped up in the plot of the book that I honestly didn't realize how good she was until I read a paragraph near the end of the book which made me gasp. I re-read that and then started noticing Barone's almost-poetic style in some places. Cheri is a fascinating, flawed character; this is her book, and some of the other characters paled in comparison to her. (Cheri's mother almost never transcended a stereotypical Italian immigrant, clinging fast to her old-school ways and customs despite being in the U.S. for many years.) Bina and Deepak Joshi came to America to start over and welcome new opportunities into their lives. Bina ia a little resentful of leaving a flourishing acting career but settles into her role as the matriarch of the household-settle being being the operative word-as she supports Deepak's journey to becoming a psychiatrist in America. The "Chats over Chai" fiasco is so overblown. It's a glorified kitty party group with a bunch of aunties gossiping, and I can't imagine Bipin wasting so much of his precious time on tearing down such an insignificant gathering

Happy Families by Dr Beth Mosley MBE - Pan Macmillan Happy Families by Dr Beth Mosley MBE - Pan Macmillan

It was a fast-paced read, although had a slightly slow burner at the beginning. I liked how the author successfully built the tension feeling of mine reading every chapter, so it kept me engaged. The main character had me “bite my nails” on how she reacted for every mysterious and devastated moment that occurred around her. Maybe this is why this book is being categorized as a “psychological thriller?” :) At the center of this roving story lies Cherie, a baby born and abandoned by her teenaged mother, taken into a foster home due to the convincing of young Billy, and ultimately adopted by a distraught couple in hopes of filling a void left by the recent loss of their biological child. The timeline flexes and folds as the story is revealed from various perspectives, but mostly revolves around Cherie as its axis. Teenaged clinic custodian Billy, adoptive parents Sol and Cici, husband Michael, young and middle-aged Cherie all share some of the storytelling in this heartbreaking yet hopeful novel. Anuj, the youngest, is the golden boy. His quiet confidence and easy-going nature however, mask other insecurities that rise to the surface.Work, her marriage, and dealing with her well-meaning but overbearing mother are all sources of strife as she nears her 40th birthday. She's a former cop and current orofessor, and the details in this novel are so well researched and thoroughly described that they paint a vivid, realistic picture. Happy Family examines familial bonds and asks whether we can ever see our parents as complex people beyond the simple scope of parenthood, and if doing so would change the way we perceive our history. In all honesty to start with Beth's relationships all seem a bit to perfect even with her ex husband and his girlfriend. So the fall out during the book is great to read. In this story, I think that things may have had a different outcome had the family had more deeper conversations rather than surface level ones. It showed how people suffer internally and are most times scared to speak or more so closed off on what they are feeling or dealing with. The theme of gaslighting is handled well and we see how seemingly insignificant remarks and incidents snowball so that the victim ends up questioning their own judgment and grasp on reality. Even though I didn’t care that much for Beth as a character it was still sad to see how much her life spins out of control, particularly when intimate film footage of her is posted on social media.

Happy Family: The gripping Richard and Judy Book Club Not a Happy Family: The gripping Richard and Judy Book Club

Within a couple of months, her life has gone from happy contentment to a complete humiliating mess. And the only one who remains in her corner is her mum. Thank goodness she is there to support her. Or is she? Matriarch, Bina's story was my favorite, where she organizes a chai and chat social for women in her community to discuss the problems that often go unspoken. She even ends up turning into a bit of a social media influencer. While Beth did some horrible things as a teen, you connect with her because of what she’s going through. It was uncomfortable to have these emotions because of the outcomes of her emotions, but it does make you think about why people act out. Everyone has their own personal battles. This book makes you examine those.When your family agrees on its core values — and consistently lives by those standards — you'll build a stronger family identity and reduce conflict. Written with considerable emotional intelligence and some very clever humor, it’s hard to believe this is Tracy Barone's first novel. I have read countless stories centered around adoption, and Happy Family is my new favorite. Sol and Cici Matzner, the adoptive parents of an infant girl, make an unusual and often hilarious couple. The marriage of a Jewish doctor to a beautiful Italian, Catholic child bride, almost unheard of in the 1950s, wreaks havoc on the newlyweds' families. Sol converts to Catholicism in a futile attempt to assuage Cici's family, but he is disowned by the Matzner clan. How ironic that Cici becomes the stereotypical Jewish mother! They name their daughter Cheri, dropping the 'e' from their favorite term of endearment. While I may not have fully connected with the characters, I definitely connected to the message it gave. By the end, I did enjoy the book when things all came together. I was able to see and feel the characters where as in the beginning I could not.