Memorial Service — Susan L. Larmon

What do we owe to the auspicious previous generation of our family? Not to be prematurely forgotten, perhaps? There was no real danger of that, if Jeff Walker had anything to say about it. The memorial service for his mother sets the scene for a captivating novel that delves into universal family dynamics, including alternative lifestyles and childhood crushes. In the unfolding of this story, a near-fatal attack and the revelation of a love-child must be dealt with in quick succession by Phil Clark and the object of his lifelong obsessive love. In the meantime, the lively spirits of Phil's and Jeff's dead parents are ever-present witnesses to the goings-on, and they hotly debate the possible outcomes -- all the while realizing that there is little they can do anymore to influence events in the world of the living. That doesn't stop them, however, from advising their offspring by interrupting their dreams from time to time. The inhabitants of both worlds fervently hope that all will be resolved, when the final memorial service takes place. But whose will it be this time?