Matt McAvoy Book Review

A moving, at times heartbreaking account of the events in the life of a couple who, unable to conceive following a miscarriage, decide to become foster carers.  Their journey is shrewdly narrated from the first-person viewpoints of both, as well as the husband’s eleven-year-old daughter.

Well written and candid, this is clearly a book created with a great deal of procedural knowledge from the author; although fictional, it certainly appears to have its basis in factual events, and the family may even be real.  I did find this fact a touch troubling, in large part because of concerns for the daughter’s lost childhood.  The family is a particularly righteous one, and I couldn’t help thinking that while of course their heart is surely in the right place, and their choice is undoubtedly therapeutic for the parents, the girl perhaps deserved a more settled and normal home life.  Indeed, at one point in the book, she bemoans the burden placed on her by her virtuous parents, and it always strikes me as a little unfair when young children are compelled to lead philanthropic lives, rather than enjoying the usual perks and attention expected in childhood.

Of course, this is a book which is very heavy on faith – although, it must be said that it didn’t seem to start off that way, ss though luring the reader into a false security; it can overwhelm with praise to God and references to God’s plan.  This appears a very common element in books by U.S. authors.  While I’ve no wish to offend anyone, I always find that when a book not explicitly about faith starts to veer heavily in that direction, for me it loses a lot of its impact and credibility – though this is of course a personal preference by an atheist reviewer.  Just be expectant that this is weighted quite heavily as a book of faith.  Under the circumstances, however, given the charitable nature of their lifestyle choice, it is not a bad thing by any means, in terms of the fostering.

It may appear that my review is critical, but I did actually enjoy this book a great deal.  Its format is just right, and it is extremely well constructed.  The multiple viewpoint narrative is presented expertly and, whilst it must be said that the punctuation leaves quite a lot to be desired throughout, and certainly needs addressing, overall the book is a genuine work of quality.  Utterly engaging and gripping, this is a hard-going read, and not by any means an easy one.  Whilst I don’t tend to enjoy reading about the plight of the underclasses, it was interesting to see the horrific backstories of some of these poor mistreated kids – yet, some parts, whilst distressing, were also heartwarming.  A harshly enlightening book, Ralley Point is an insightful and well researched exposé of the social services and family court systems.  Definitely something of an eye opener, it will definitely provide real value to anyone considering becoming a foster carer in the United States – and a good read for those with a penchant for real-life, harrowing family dramas, with a silver lining of love, charity and hope.