Cleaning Closets
One hanger, one child, one secret, and one messy stack of stuff at a time; Lydia Calypso cleans out the closets of her life. The truths she uncovers as she tidies up help her see her life, her children, and herself, in a much less hung up way. Lydia finds herself and realizes she is much stronger than she thought and has a lot of live yet to live. Susan DeBow reminds us that families, like life, aren’t always what they seem to be.
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(out of 8 reviews)
List Price: $ 15.95
Price: $ 2.97
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Review by Mari Higgins Murray for Cleaning Closets
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Lydia Calypso is Everywoman of a certain age who takes you into her family closet in a delicious romp and rant that leads you to the comforting realization that, after all, it is family ‘dysfunction’ that makes us all who we are. Ms. DeBow draws you into the Calypso closet early on with startling revelations such as her metaphor for feeding children with self esteem “candy” that rots their teeth with entitlement. And she never lets you go until the closet is cleaned with self-discovery, hers and yours. No wonder that Amazon has paired this novel with the non-fictional “Eat, Pray, Love”, a memoir of another woman’s self-seeking journey. Beautifully and intelligently written, you’ll find yourself dog-earing many pages for their wisdom while sharing Lydia’s giggles and sobs, sometimes in the same breath. “Cleaning Closets” is an “aha!” book deserving of Oprah’s attention!
Review by Patricia L. Mirabelli for Cleaning Closets
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Susan DeBow captured the essence of family dynamics in this book. Once I started reading, I could barely put it down. Lydia was a character I could definitely identify with and was really believable. I can usually guess what is going to happen in a book, but this one kept me guessing. Would highly recommend.
Review by Ruth Pike for Cleaning Closets
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Susan DeBow really captured the joys and sorrows of later stages of women’s lives and especially of motherhood. Although most of my own life circumstances are very different than Lydia’s, my stomach went into sympathetic knots every few pages. The metaphor of closets was a great choice. Every time a purse falls on my head, I start to think about cleaning not only that space but also the other messes in my life.
The book is also a great reminder to prospective writers that one doesn’t need to have had a glamorous or adventurous life to have a lot of material to write about. Unfortunately one needs Susan DeBow’s talent for close observation and picking salient details that reverberate for the reader.
Review by Renate W. Thomas for Cleaning Closets
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This book is delicious to read. Make sure you have time set aside, because you won’t want to put it down. The characters become real as the pages unfold, and the plot twists and turns just when you think you see what is coming next.
Review by Book Maven for Cleaning Closets
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This was so real! If you are part of a family with any hint of dysfunction, you will be able to relate to Lydia. I chuckled at the conversations she had with God and her cat. I cried when she discovered family secrets that had been kept from her. I wanted to begin again when I got to the end. I hope Susan writes a sequel so we know what happens to the Calypso’s!