Without Merit by Colleen Hoover
Merit Voss leads a very unconventional life.
She lives in a converted church that her atheist father, Barnaby Voss, purchased from a local pastor with financial woes. In an attempt to make this house of worship look more like a home, he adds a white picket fence, but decides to leave the marquee out front. Every morning, Merit's brother, Utah, updates the sign with bits of trivia that have nothing to do with The Lord. It continues to give the people in this tiny, Northeast Texas town, something to talk about.
Merit's parents are divorced, but her mother still lives in the basement due to a severe case of social anxiety. Added to the mix is twin sister, Honor, who seems to excel at everything while Merit crawls deeper into her hole of isolation, regularly skipping school, collecting cast-off trophies, and giving her family the silent treatment which no one seems to even notice. Then there's stepmother, Victoria, half-brother, Moby, and the mysterious Sagan, who Merit is wildly attracted to after a passionate kiss that turns out to be a case of mistaken identity. Out of nowhere, Victoria's estranged half-brother, Luck, shows up to make this eccentric family complete.
It's just a matter of time before simmering, pent-up secrets come to a boiling point. Festering wounds are exposed for all to see when Merit airs the family's dirty laundry. A near tragedy finally causes this maladjusted family to realize how close they are to losing one another and the love they share.
While entertaining readers with the antics of an offbeat family, this novel also takes a
candid look at the prevalence of mental illness in our society. "Depression doesn't
necessarily mean a person is miserable or suicidal all the time. Indifference is also a sign of depression." Just one of many symptoms too often ignored.
A refreshing novel, so easy to read, with just the right amount of humor, sending a message
of hope to those who suffer.
Merit Voss leads a very unconventional life.She lives in a converted church that her atheist father, Barnaby Voss, purchased from a local pastor with financial woes. In an attempt to make this house of worship look more like a home, he adds a white picket fence, but decides to leave the marquee out front. Every morning, Merit's brother, Utah, updates the sign with bits of trivia that have nothing to do with The Lord. It continues to give the people in this tiny, Northeast Texas town, something to talk about.
Merit's parents are divorced, but her mother still lives in the basement due to a severe case of social anxiety. Added to the mix is twin sister, Honor, who seems to excel at everything while Merit crawls deeper into her hole of isolation, regularly skipping school, collecting cast-off trophies, and giving her family the silent treatment which no one seems to even notice. Then there's stepmother, Victoria, half-brother, Moby, and the mysterious Sagan, who Merit is wildly attracted to after a passionate kiss that turns out to be a case of mistaken identity. Out of nowhere, Victoria's estranged half-brother, Luck, shows up to make this eccentric family complete.
It's just a matter of time before simmering, pent-up secrets come to a boiling point. Festering wounds are exposed for all to see when Merit airs the family's dirty laundry. A near tragedy finally causes this maladjusted family to realize how close they are to losing one another and the love they share.
While entertaining readers with the antics of an offbeat family, this novel also takes a
candid look at the prevalence of mental illness in our society. "Depression doesn't
necessarily mean a person is miserable or suicidal all the time. Indifference is also a sign of depression." Just one of many symptoms too often ignored.
A refreshing novel, so easy to read, with just the right amount of humor, sending a message
of hope to those who suffer.
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