Review: The Wednesday Letters By Jason F. Wright

Title: The Wednesday Letters
Author: Jason F. Wright
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Publishing Date: August 26, 2008
Length: 280 pages
Summary: (From book) They died in each other's arms. But their secret-the letters-did not die with them. True love keeps no secrets. 
Jack and Laurel have been married for thirty nine years. They've lived a good life and appear to have had the perfect marriage. With his wife cradled in his arms, and before Jack takes his final breath, he scribbles his last, "Wednesday Letter." When their adult children arrive to arrange for the funeral, they discover boxes and boxes full of love letters that their father wrote to their mother each week on Wednesday. As they begin to open and read the letters, the children uncover the shocking truth about their past. In addition, each must deal with present-day challenges. Matthew has a troubled marriage, Samantha is a single mother, and Malcolm is the black sheep of the family who has returned after a mysterious  two-year absence. 
My Thoughts: Um...where do I start? I love epistolary novels and I thought that this book was going to be one, but instead, it focused on the children's lives and then threw a couple of letters in. I found the writing to be choppy and confusing and the family so close knit and sharing so many private jokes, that I got a little lost. Malcolm was my favorite character because was real and relatable and I've always liked that name.
Matthew, the older brother, reminded me of Loki from Thor; but that has nothing to do with anything, nor does he really have any Loki tendencies....it must have been the brother against brother bickering that convinced my nerdy heart that they were similar.
The plot bounced back and forth a lot and again, I got a little lost trying to keep up. The story deals with forgiveness so there is mention of a few hard things that happened during the parent's married lives and how that affected the family.  Over all, it was enjoyable and I enjoyed the message, but it's not one of my favorites because of the dry writing style.
Things To Be Cautious Of:
Warning! Major Spoilers. Highlight to continue reading.
One of the letters hint that the wife has had an affair and is pregnant with a child who she doesn't know who the father is. You later learn that the mother was sexually assaulted by a homeless man and that the child is the product of rape.