An Alzheimer’s diagnosis and an unexpected death shake the foundation of the Keene family.  The four siblings are thrust in to uncharted territory; how best to care for their mother, Katherine, and her illness while navigating the often strained relationships with each other.  It is largely the story of Laura and James, the two youngest siblings, and their very personal reckonings with the progressive loss of their mother and the reclaiming of themselves.  Older brother Robert and sister Izzy are wrestling with their own issues and relationships amongst the four siblings are, at various times, both difficult and humorous.  Brooke Adams Law has gifted us a beautiful story of the human ability to reinvent our lives in the face of tragedy and to wrest meaning from unimaginable loss.

My mother passed away two years ago. She was claimed by cancer, not Alzheimer’s, but Catchlight spoke to me all the same. The prose takes the raw messiness of grief and lays it bare in a beautiful way. It made me laugh, it made me cry, but mostly it made me remember. Remember that - despite the messiness - dignity still exists, family still exists and love still exists.

Some of the pages are difficult to read from an emotional standpoint and the ending is satisfying given the ups and downs of the story.  It wasn't necessarily surprising - but told in an almost folkloric way that allows for reflection and calm. 

Overall, a carefully-crafted look into family dynamics, human desire and dealing with the inevitable.

I love a good character driven novel, and Catchlight definitely delivers. A novel with well written characters has you both cringing at their mistakes and self sabotage and rooting for their triumph over their demons and I was doing both by the end. What I loved most was the framing of the story around the bumpy self discovery of two of the siblings: the family's black sheep and the family's "glue." Law captures the reality of family conflict and sibling rivalry in a way that truly resonated with me as someone who is no stranger to family conflict and it's effects on your personal life.

On the eve of burying their stepfather, the siblings need to plan the care for their mother who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.  Just a bit of dysfunction is present in this family.  The doctor, Robert, on the verge of a crumbling marriage.  Izzy, frazzled mom of young children. James, a lifelong alcoholic as was his father.  Laura is recently divorced and emotionally fragile.  
Catchlight is a photographic technique that can add light to the eye or to the entire subject.  Brooke Adams Law catches the glimmer in each of the characters as they see Alzheimer’s Disease diminish the light of their mom. 
This novel was an enjoyable read.  I would be interested in a sequel to follow the characters.

3.5/5
This is the story of four siblings whose mother gets diagnosed with Alzheimer.

First of all, I thought I would see how this disease affects the lives from the entire family, not just the patient. And while we do get some glimpses of it, this novel is more focused on two of the siblings: Laura and James.

Laura is an educated woman in her 30s and though she’s always tried her best to be a good daughter and a doctor (she’s a psychiatrist), she still has to solve some issues about herself and her relationship within her family and significant other.

James, on the other hand, is a drunk. Therefore, he hurts himself and others due to his drinking. In fact, he’s the reason his kid gets injured in a car accident. He goes to jail and then then to rehab, so he can change his ways.

Through the pages we get to know these two and little by little, they solve their problems, whether they mean to take care of their mother and somehow find balance in their work and love life, or when it’s just learning how to take care of yourself and others around you.

I really liked the fact that they learn how to become better. They make mistakes, as any human being does, but that’s not the end of life, you see? This reminded me that we’re not alone, that we can lean on each other –a friend, a lover, a parent or a sibling. Humans, we’re meant to heal each other.

We go through joyful and tough times. We experience love, comfort, loss, grief, sadness, joy. We cannot be just one thing. We’re the sum of our own expectations but also the things that we share with others. And it’s easy to forget that time doesn’t stop for anybody, so you have to make the most of it while you can.

Catchlight is a compelling story about a family struggling with their mother's diagnosis and progression into Alzheimer's disease. Although that diagnosis is tragic, the story is not. Every member of the family responds in their own way and comes to grip with their role in the family. There is a family secret that adds interest and dare I say drama to the story. The characters are likable and real. You care about what happens to them and how they resolve their issues. I didn't want to stop reading this book! I felt like I knew the family and wanted to know what happened to them (maybe a sequel?) The love between mother and child, between spouses, between siblings, is shown in many ways and it is always relatable. The love scenes are touching and the dialogue is well written. There is a prison rape scene that may be a trigger for some, but even that is handled well. I was sorry to come to the end of this story and I am proud to be an early reader of this debut novel. I hope this is the start of many books to follow!

Catchlight is a well depicted story of a family navigating the devastating effects of an Altzheimer’s diagnosis of their mother, Katherine.  She happens to be the glue that holds them together.

The characters are very human and loveable.  I found myself routing for them to pull themselves together as individuals as well as a family.  Cudos to Brooke Adams Law for conveying quite successfully the day-to-day sameness of the primary caregiver’s life and the impact it has on that person’s world.

There is something so familiar, so real in this novel that I found myself fully immersed in this place I’ve never been, with these characters I’ve never known, but feeling like I am here with them. The complexity of family relationships, the wake of pain our lives, choices, and secrets can leave behind despite the best of intentions, and the guilt, love, joy and vulnerability we imbue ourselves with - universal human experiences that construct this story. Brook Adams Law gives us a cast of characters that are flawed and deeply human. She presents them free of judgment, and allows us as readers to feel for them even at their lowest moments. We see all their breaks, all their weaknesses, and we see glimpses of ourselves.

Losing a loved one to an invisible enemy slowly is a form of pain that changes not just the one suffering, but all those present to that suffering. Alzheimer’s and addiction both rob loved ones of the person who was, and leave behind the painful fraught relationship of the person who is now. We see the Keene family navigate both of these levels of loss, along with the loss of truth, the loss of trust among each other and themselves at times. We see the ever changing undulating shape that family takes, with all the love and mess that entails.

The ongoing themes of both Home and Faith also featured prominently. Home as unifying place for family, and Faith as far as both providing a space of belonging and refuge, but also a simultaneous and contrary sense of alienation- the way these two concepts weave continuously through the story is beautifully handled.

The fragile vulnerability of the characters kept me as a reader deeply invested in this lovely book. If you enjoy titles in the vein of Before We Were Yours, you will surely enjoy this one as well

I loved this book. The story was so compelling which, together with the short chapters, made this a real page-turner. I think there is something in this book that would appeal to just about anybody-family drama, personal failure (and triumph!), loss, heartbreak, redemption. I couldn’t put it down. Awesome character development- I felt like I knew these people and was so invested in their stories; I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen to them even as I was dreading finishing the book. The ending was satisfying without tying everything up in an improbably neat little bow. My only disappointment is that I have to wait for this author to write book, which I sincerely hope is on the horizon!! Highly recommend.

I loved this book! Hankie alert!! There were some points I was yelling at my tablet!! (Dont you just love when a book brings that out in you?)
4 troubled siblings come together in times of family tragedies. 
Wonderful writing, I couldnt put it down! Well developed characters. I loved these characters!!
Because this book brought out the "feels" in me, it gets a 5 star!

The Matriarch of this family, Katherine has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and this novel is about her four adult children as they deal with this devastating disease and their own troubles both within the family as well as their own lives. 
Though Katherine's disease is progressing and she is forgetting most everything, there is one huge secret that she has not unremembered and it will be revealed-- like it or not! 
Her family will be shocked!
I enjoyed the smooth writing of this book and the alternating characters telling their part of this story and their feeling,s as they attempt to cope with the slow loss of their mother.
A good read!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel.

This book is the story of four siblings who come together after their mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.  The characters are very well developed and the plot moves at a very quick and consistent clip... no dull moments here.  My only complaint would be about some unbelievable or convenient plot elements but really the book just moves along at a quick and satisfying pace.  I loved it and will definitely keep an eye out for Ms. Law's next book!