Unless

Unless

Reta Winters is a content woman. She has three darling daughters, a loving husband and a golden retriever. Her life is comfortable until her much-loved daughter suddenly leaves her studies and the security of her family to go begging on a street corner in Toronto with a hand-lettered sign around her neck that reads "Goodness." Reta explores the meaning of goodness as she tries to make sense out of her daughter's withdrawal from her seemingly idyllic life and family. What I like most about Carol Shields is her ability to describe the everyday lives of women in a way that resonates so truly. Reta reflects on housecleaning and cooking and what some would consider the daily grind. She is an ordinary woman doing ordinary things even when tragedy forces her to examine her life in a new way. The novel uncovers wells of self-doubt previously absent in Reta's well-ordered life but avoids slipping into darkness.