Mom Moves Erika And Her Father example essay topic

Title: It's a Matter of Trust Author: Marcia ByalickAnother book by this author is: The Craving Brain Setting: The story starts off in Nassau County. When Erika's family heads off to their vacationing spot on the bay of Edgemont for Christmas. In the beginning of the story it was in the end of December around Christmas time. The story continues for about nine months. It wraps up at the first of June. Main Characters: Erika; The narrator, a young girl in her junior year of high school, her father turns her life upside down.

Allison; Erika's best friend from kindergarten, goes on trip with the family when the telephone call from Uncle Ray is received, she helps Erika with her problems as much as possible since Erika won't really tell her what is happening since she herself doesn't know. Mom; Erika's mom, an once energetic person who loves her family very much but doesn't do well with the stress, she has to have a list for everything she does, it helps to keep her calm. Dad; Erika's father who is the felon, he takes illegal money from people through his work, his once perfect world is shattered by one phone call that he always knew would come. Matt; Erika's brother, he is in college so he doesn't really know what is going on with his father, but he doesn't really try to find out, he keeps himself busy so that he doesn't have to dwell on it, he tries to help out Erika, but doesn't really know how.

Uncle Raymond Schuman; The first person to get involved in the money scandal, he is Dad's best friend, not really brother, but is called Uncle. Gregg; One of Erika's friends from camp. He was a summer fling that turns out to be a relationship, he helps Erika through most of everything, because he has no clue of what is going on and so he lets her talk and he listens and helps. Grandma and Grandpa; Erika's mom's parents, Erika, her mom and her dad move in with them when the reporter get to bad to handle, Erika isn't that good with dealing with her Grandma so it makes her time with them very hard, she learns later though that her Grandma is only trying to help but doesn't know how, and since Erika was the first child to ever talk back or disagree, they don't get along, Erika and her Grandpa get along great though. Plot Summary: The story starts off when a family, Mom, Dad, Erika, a friend, Allison are leaving to a family cottage in Edgemont. On the way they get a disturbing telephone call from Uncle Ray Schuman.

This is when the climax starts because you really don't know what is going on for about 3 months into the story. The trip is then cut short after the call. With the family only an hour away from their destination, they back track on 3 hours of the trip. It turns out that Erika's father was involved in a chain of crimes with Uncle Ray.

As it turns out Dad and Uncle Ray were taking money illegally from people and using for themselves. Erika was never really told what is going on till the very end, when her father is sentenced to 18 months in prison. Erika's life is turned upside down by her father's mistakes. Her family is constantly followed by reporters and her friends start talking behind her back cause they never know for sure what to say to her. Mom moves Erika, and her father later follows, to Grandma and Grandpa's house to get away from the reporters, to try and life a normal life. The reporters constantly bothered the family and so they were forced to move to get some privacy.

Uncle Ray ends up committing suicide and Erika blames it on her father. Because her father was going to testify against him. This adds one more thing for Erika to hate her father for. Her perfect father image was shattered so she doesn't know what to believe anymore, who to trust, or if anything she was brought up to believe is right. She has to find out who she is and what she believes. A time comes up during a tennis tournament that she realize she isn't cut out to be a liar or a cheater.

A ball that the other girl served to win the match is served clearly in, but she calls it out because it was really close so only her father and her could really tell. She did this only because she sees her father and had asked him not to come, because she didn't want to be embarrassed. So, when she sees him she wants to hurt him, for hurting her. So she cheats to win the tournament for the team. Later she come to confess to her coach and tells her dad the reason she did it. She knew he couldn't say anything, because what was he to say?

'I raised you better than that!' He himself had gone against everything he told her. So she did it to hurt him and show what it was like. But afterwards she feels bad and decides not to go out for tennis next year, her senior year, because she can't handle the fact that she had to cheat to win. Although she does end up getting talked back into going out by her coach. At the end, she goes to a summer camp where she meets back up with an old summer romance. Gregg helps her to forgive her father, and to continue her life.

She tells Gregg all about the tennis tournament. He in turn tells her about a time he cheated and that made her feel better to know that no one was perfect. Her mother and father come to visit on a family day, her last day to see her father for 18 months. He is sentenced to jail for a year and a half. She tells him about everything she felt and how betrayed she felt because he didn't ever tell her what was going on.

He explains that he didn't really want to testify against Uncle Ray and that it wasn't his fault he committed suicide. He tells Erika that Uncle Ray had told him in the beginning that he couldn't handle it. That he wanted to run away from it all. That he wanted him to run with him. To take the money and run. Erika's father refused to leave his family though.

Here is where the healing starts to take place and they start to work on starting over. Erika has to realize that her father, like anyone, is not perfect. General Themes: The author was trying to get across that lying, cheating, and stealing can turn a family upside down. All they do is get you farther in a rut. The best way through life is the honest way. This book was about real life problems that some people go through, and show how they did it.

I mainly think the author was trying to point out what can happen in a matter of months to ones life if they live a lie. Personal Reaction: My personal reaction to this book was this; I think that Erika was very left out on the whole situation. She should have been told what was going on from the very beginning. I didn't think it was fair that she was left in the dark. It was a pretty book about life and how things can really screw up a persons life. I liked the book, it isn't a book I would read again, but it was interesting enough.

Some parts did drag, but for most parts it was a really good book. It showed how honesty gets you far and lies only dig a hole. It's A Matter of Trust Marcia ByalickChristina Thatcher 4 B Mr. Judd 11-29-00.