A Field Guide to the North American Family by Garth Hallberg

This was a really neat little book. I never would have thought of telling a story like this but it was wonderful to read.

A Field Guide is the story of two families through the years. Each family has a father, mother, daughter, and son. They a neighbors and the boys are the same age. Instead of chapters, this story is told in entries which are alphabetical, just like in a field guide. Each entry is accompanied by a picture and cross references. For instance, "Adolescence" is cross referenced with "Boredom" and "Angst." There is a story here. The families face hard times. There is death and divorce. There are accidents and rumors. Everything comes slowly, in disjointed spurts because of the arrangement.

I would have gladly given this book five stars except that I kept getting characters mixed up, specifically the boys and the moms. It was handy to have a cast of characters in the front of the book to refer to but I wish there had been a little more character development instead. Still, I loved it.