Let the Willows Weep by Sherry Parnell

A story of family drama

Let the Willows Weep is about a dysfunctional family, the Harlin family. The mother carries with her a secret from a previous life which is supposed to explain her abusive behavior toward her family, especially her daughter. This is revealed in the last pages of the book. Depending on the reader, we can feel sympathetic or angry towards the mother. Did this secret justify putting her family through hell?

The father worked hard and always spoke highly of his wife to be respectful and a good role model. He made excuses for her behavior. Again, was this an admirable trait, or was he a coward?

The children, two boys and a girl had completely different relationships with each parent. There was favoritism and a lack of or too much discipline.

Let the Willows Weep tells the story of how each of these characters handles the dysfunction of their family. How does one child handle the love of one parent, but the neglect of the other? How does one child handle being the favorite? Lastly, how does one child handle being completely overlooked?

The story covers the usual dysfunctional family occurrences from day to day, such as abuse, neglect, jealousy, and anger. Major, even tragic events, take place, such as, love/hate relationships, prejudices, devastation, and death. We get to see how each character deals with these problems in their individual ways.

Sherry Parnell makes the story enjoyable with her beautiful writing style and being unpredictable. We get to know the characters well enough to predict their choices, but are surprised with a twist we never see coming. I think the best stories are unpredictable.

There are other characters in Let the Willows Weep that Sherry Parnell introduces who share in the Harlin family drama. They are as vivid as the Harlin family characters themselves.

Does the family survive the dysfunctional drama? Do any of the Harlin family members learn from the choices they made in their life? 

I recommend the book; Let the Willows Weep for readers who enjoy stories about family hardships.