Paula Aird

No Dress Rehearsal Paula Aird

Trying to save her thirteen-year-old son, Gregory, from adolescent pitfalls, Monica Patsy (Mopsy) sends him to Toronto, Canada to live with his biological father, Vibert Richland, whom he had met once before when he was eight years old. Surely in Canada Gregory will have a better life than what she can provide for him in Grenada, especially since he has fallen into disrepute with Napo, his abusive step-father. But Vibert's life is falling apart. He has lost his job - a secret he dare not share even with his wife Eldica, he is having an affair, and is living in his own world of misery. The fragile relationship between him and his wife is crumbling. He eventually vacates the home leaving behind Eldica, their children Marcel and Dessa and now Gregory. Eldica is trying to keep things together but she resents Vibert's neglect of the family. Because of a series of miscommunications and misunderstandings, Gregory becomes more and more withdrawn. He starts hanging out with unsavory characters, which catapults him into serious trouble with the police. Fate reunites Greg with Chanelle, the young girl he met the day he arrived from Grenada. She is herself plagued by her own demons, having lost her father in the 9/11 trade tower tragedy, and her mother has comnplications arising from cosmetic surgery. The reader observes how Chanelle and Greg influence each other. This book deals with relationships, finding love and overcoming hurdles. It highlights important issues facing society today - absentee fathers, peer pressure, infidelity, spousal abuse, neglect of the elderly and much more.