And Me Among Them

Finished September 8
And Me Among Them by Kristen den Hartog
This is the story of Ruth, a young girl with a growth issue, and her parents Elspeth and James.
Elspeth and James met in England, when James went looking for a hat for his mother at the hat shop Elspeth worked at. Elspeth followed James back to his home in Canada, and began doing piecework in the local suit factory. James went back to his job as a mailman. They were pleased with their child Ruth, but began to worry when she kept growing. They worry about her relationship with others and about her health. We see things from all three points of view and see the issues with communication that have developed between them. This book talks to the emotions involved and sees how the family struggles with acceptance of themselves and each other. We see how they conceal things from each other and deny things in their struggle to cope.