“Unfinished Business” is an enjoyable novel written by Susan Law Corpany. It is the story of a young mother, Beverly, who suddenly becomes a widow when her husband is accidentally killed while working. This story focuses on the unique challenges that Beverly faces as she struggles to raise her son along. It also talks a great deal about the challenges that Beverly faces which are unique to the LDS culture.
The novel opens and we meet Beverly and Dave, and they are about to have their first child David. We spend a short amount of time learning about the relationship between Beverly and Dave, before he is killed in an accident. Corpany then takes us through the various stages of Beverly’s grieving process. She also shares humorous incidents of ward members trying to help, and not succeeding.
As Beverly slowly heals from the loss of Dave, she finds that she is lonely. She decides to begin attending single adult activities so that she can socialize. She has a few run-ins with the men, but makes friends with a group of women. These friendships help her to move forward. Eventually Beverly runs into an old boyfriend who is recently divorced. She finds her old feelings returning, but is worried about the way that he is treating his ex-wife during the custody battle. She must choose to stand for what is right, or possibly give up her future with a man whom she cares a great deal about.
The story is interesting and easy to read. It has enough twists in the plot to keep your interested. While it does focus on the struggles of a widow, it is not a depressing book, because Corpany writes about the quirks with a good sense of humor. Corpany, a widow herself, writes about experiences that she is familiar with. The novel is interesting, and realistic. While the experiences she writes about are not her own, you can tell that she drawing on a firm knowledge of the different struggles that a widow faces in her life. I recommend reading “Unfinished Business.”