Three adult siblings are reunited when one of them is hospitalized with a life-threatening illness. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Palmer, daughter of missionaries to Kenya, turns in a frankly autobiographical work with The Happy Room, about siblings Julia, Peter, and Debbie Mossman who gather at Debbie's bedside when her anorexia brings her near death. Childhood neglect is in part responsible for Debbie's condition, as it is for Julia's "doormat" psychology and Peter's self-destructive rebelliousness. The siblings begin to come to terms with it all in their reminiscences of a Christian boarding school where their parents sent them nine months of the year. They grew up with shattered identities, not Kenyan, not really American. Was it the fault of their parents, who could not be dedicated missionaries and good parents as well? Maybe, maybe not, Palmer suggests, in this deeply felt and personal novel, her best in a string of increasingly accomplished efforts. John Mort. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.