I finished this book a while ago and am just getting around to a brief reveiw. A Forever Family by John Houghton would have benefited from much tighter editing. The beginning was slow and the ending just kept going on and on. Yes, another horrific incident in their lives. I'm not trying to be snarky, but in order to maintian the reader's interest, a good storyteller needs to know when to leave out details that I'm sure were important in real life, but don't add anything to the book.
But onto the story. John and his wife, Marina , after a long history of infertility decide to pursue adoption. Incredibly they are paired with a sibling group of 3 with a history of abuse and neglect. For anybody who is remotely connected with adoption, you can see the train wreck ahead. This couple is woefully unprepared for the trauma these children have already experienced and the conflict their fragile family soon faces. Support just does not exist in any form and this family fights hard for help. John details their journey with excruciating honesty. At times, I just wanted to get off. I can't imagine the pain and the trauma that just never seemed to end.
Their story ends with hope. Their oldest son is living on his own and according to the author is a young man any parent would be proud of. However, they missed the last half of his teen years and don't really know how he turned his life around. Their other 2 children have continued to live with them and he is not sure they will ever be able to live independently. There have been long, difficult, and violent years together and looking back, John does not know how they have survived. But they have and they are forever.
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