Dysfunction Junction

When three women receive an unexpected phone call that leaves them reeling, they have no other choice but to reckon with a lifetime of memories they’ve long tried to bury. Only in facing the past will they find their path forward.

Frances Mae Livingston’s firm grip of her family’s destructive history makes her hold her husband and four children even closer. But she’s losing bits of herself while proving to everybody and her mama that she’s enough. There’s no way she’ll repeat her mama’s mistakes, even if it kills her.

Annabelle McMillan didn’t have trouble kicking the Eastern North Carolina dust off her feet. The tough part was replanting herself in familiar soil. Now she’s blending her old life with her new husband, stepson, and unborn child. And battling old memories of abandonment and new fears of rejection.

Dr. Charlotte Winters has built a career around helping others sort through their emotional baggage. She’s also spent a lifetime refusing to unpack her own. So what if Charlotte doesn’t recall all that her mama did to her and what her daddy didn’t do for her? Her only mission is to help others help themselves…until the women from her past and the man in her future undo her well-sewn life.

At the junction of healed and hurting, broken and whole, and past and present, three women wrestle with their inability to forgive and forget in this riveting Southern family drama about sisterhood from award-winning author Robin W. Pearson.

My Review:

I’m having a hard time finding words to express the impact this novel had on me. Maybe because I too am the product of a dysfunctional family. So there are some hard truths within these pages and I had to do some reckoning right along with Frankie, Annabelle and Charlotte. And oh, but my heart hurt for them…and for me. Therapeutic bibliotherapy at its best.

The story is told through three points of view as each sister marries memories from her past with the reality she is trying to make work in the present. The flashbacks are heartbreaking as all three are products of neglect and abuse. It colours the way each sister views life and love and even their own rocky relationship.

I had a favourite sister in the beginning, but my loyalty was no longer divided by the end. These women are survivors. Overcomerers filled with grace. Their journey is unimaginably hard and emotionally complex but it’s a redemption story worth reading. 

I listened to the audio book expertly narrated by LaNecia Edmonds who did an amazing job giving each sister a distinctive voice. She really captured their personalities and brought an extra energy to the author’s vibrant storytelling. A great author/narrator pairing.

My thanks to the publisher, Dreamscape Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of Dysfunction Junction.

27 thoughts on “Dysfunction Junction”

  3. Love when we can relate (good and bad) with a story. I think that’s what brings it alive for us. Makes us feel like we have a personal part in the story.

    “Dysfunction Junction” sounds like a wonderful story. Thank you for your review and for bring this book to our attention.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  4. My family put the fun in the word dysfunctional. ugh They’re still dysfunctional, I just happen to be the only normal sibling (scary, huh?) bwahahaha
    I agree with the others. Fantastic review, Kav! I’ve had my eyes on this one bc not only does it sound great, but it will help my diversity/new-to-me author goals!

    dianalflowers at aol dot com

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    1. OOPSIE! Sorry, I mistakenly thought this was a giveaway. That’s what I get for trying to multitask by entering a comment on this PC that hates me and doing a favor for my sweet hubby. lol

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    1. You’re welcome, Kathleen. Robin W. Pearson is a fairly new author — I think this is her third book. She writes Women’s Fiction full of faith that packs an emotional punch. And she doesn’t shy away from the messiness in life.

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      1. Just popping in here to put my 2 cents worth in on this hateful PC. lol I listened to an interview w/ Robin & another author & she has such a great sense of humor. Cracked me up! But as you mentioned, Kav, she doesn’t shy away from the yucky stuff. I have this book on the top of of my wishlist…I don’t mind reading an emotionally, deep read right now as long as it isn’t my life! lol

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      2. Bwahahah — yes, let’s keep the messy life stuff fictional! And I always read a more light-hearted read like a rom/com after an emotional blockbuster like this one. Helps even things out. 🙂

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  7. Thanks for your review. I’ve loved this authors other books. Looks like this one will hit it out of the park. I’m excited to read this. It’s on my TBR stack. Grin!

    Thanks again for all you do!

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