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The Test

Patricia Gussin
Oceanview Publishing (2009)
ISBN 9781933515199
Reviewed by Enid Grabiner for RebeccasReads.Com (9/09)

Paul Parnell, the billionaire patriarch to a dysfunctional family, dies of cancer. He realizes too late in life that his focus on work and finances dearly cost him alienation from his family.  With no time left for self-redemption, he implores his progeny to take a close look at their own lives and rethink their goals.  He leaves a will that stipulates that his children read a personal note he has written to each and abide by the request he has set forth.   He puts each to “the test”.  A year is the time frame set to change things and escape the corrupting power of money.  Hopefully, each will rise to a higher moral standard creating a legacy of which he or she can be proud.  Success will be judged by the executor of the estate.

As the book unfolds we are introduced to a complex family dynamic. We meet children who are plagued by avarice, drugs, hubris, health issues, accidents, and even a speech impediment!  Of course, this is only the beginning.  Sudden unexplained deaths, invasion of outsiders, pregnancy and the attack on the World Trade Center are all complications that must be faced.  Not one challenge imaginable is omitted in this novel.  With time running out and the family threatened, changes become inevitable.  Will it be the hoped for outcome or the destruction of a dynasty?

Alert to Lifetime:  A perfect story for a made-for-TV movie!  "The Test" is contrived and almost silly, yet guaranteed to hold attention of the reader.  As he becomes immersed in the plot, the next chapter beckons.  This book screams soap opera plot, imploring the reader to read to the conclusion. 


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