BITTER ROSE: COLOR ME CRUSHED
Melody Carlson
Th1nk Books
Fiction
ISBN: 1576835367
217 pages

The eighth installment in Melody Carlson's TrueColors series once again maintains the author's previous high standards --- in relevance, quality and readability. High schoolers and young adults alike will discover another heartwrenching (yet all too common) scenario that today's ever-evolving family unit must face and come to terms with --- the divorced or soon-to-be divorced parent dilemma. In her text, Carlson opens with a shattering display of emotional despair in which Maggie Fernandez, the third child of Roberto and Rosa (who are born-again Catholic Christians), exclaims to her best friend Claire that her life is over. Claire, whose own parents split when she was younger, understands, commiserates, and throughout the story finds ways to shelter and support Maggie.

Perhaps one of the most realistic aspects of this book is Maggie's emotional journey from initially observing her mother's outbursts of anger (and assuming her mom has driven her father away) to discovering that most presumptions are frequently inaccurate, which leads to re-thinking the situation, re-establishing broken relationships and recovering from the pain. Maggie gets firsthand experience at learning to hold back on premature pronouncements until she has gotten the facts straight. Indeed, her mom did lash out at her father, but only after she learned of his affair.

Humbled by this knowledge, Maggie slowly attempts to rebuild the mother-daughter relationship once she learns the truth, but it isn't so simple. While Maggie was busy condemning and alienating her mother by siding with her father, mom was becoming increasingly bitter and began changing her own life by outwardly transforming. As Maggie watches her mother take greater personal care of her appearance, she also sees that God and the church are no longer the foundational support it once was. Maggie finds it unsettling to watch as formerly held Christian convictions get discarded in favor of anything that anesthetizes the pain.

Still, Maggie keeps on going, working a new job, befriending a co-worker and just taking life one day at a time. She does an admirable job of attempting to stay focused on school and other responsibilities. After some months, when the divorce becomes a reality, Maggie already has learned much and, despite a family tragedy, recognizes the need for both of her parents. Lots of examples of genuine forgiveness are presented --- some received, some not. A lot like life.


   --- Reviewed by Michele Howe

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