Missing Steps

by Paul Cavanagh

Dean Lajeunesse doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps. He’s not yet fifty, but his memory is starting to fail him. He vividly recalls how dementia whittled away at his dad and doesn’t want his own teenaged son, Aidan, to see him suffer the same fate. Of course, he could just be overreacting. Maybe it’s the stress of his on-again-off-again relationship with Valerie, his long-time live-in girlfriend, or the feeling that he’s not measuring up as a father that’s making him absent-minded. But before he can understand what’s happening to him, he’s dragged home to the sickbed of his estranged mother. There, he butts heads with his older brother, Perry, who’s remained loyal to their mother and has succeeded in almost every way that Dean hasn’t. As old family tensions bubble to the surface, Dean must try to hold on to Aidan’s respect as he relives his difficult relationship with his own father.

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2015

About the author

Paul Cavanagh burst onto the international literary scene when he was crowned the world’s first Lit Idol at the London International Book Fair in the UK. The novel that won him the title, After Helen, was published by HarperCollinsCanada to glowing reviews. His deft touch for creating compelling characters comes in no small part from working for some 30 years in health care. He developed his literary talents at the Humber School for Writers and Western University. He currently lives in London, Ontario, Canada.

Reviews

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a moving, poignant story that explores family relationships and the devastation that is caused by both dementia and the perceptions people have of it.

Cavanagh has crafted a novel around the main character's need for understanding from his son even as he searches his soul for ways to understand his own late father, a man who disappeared before his time as a victim of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Urgency is added to the situation as his protagonist starts to suspect that he may also be a victim of the hereditary disease's insidious progress. Even as he fears telling his son about the possibility that both of them may one day succumb to the affliction, a new crisis emerges to give him a last chance to save his family--or lose it all forever.

The novel is well-written (in a simple, direct style) and enjoyable, and I found the protagonist, Dean, easy to relate to and understand. His journey to retrace the "missing steps" of his life, both by himself and with those around him is worth taking and many readers will likely find parallels with their own lives and family stories.

Recommended.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story had potential, but the writing verged on amateurish, which I found distracting. The protagonists angst was so pronounced that it felt forced. There were portions of the story that should have been further explored.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating would be 3.75. This was very very close to a 4 star review from me, however, I found some aspects drawn out, and feel the author allowed for some unrealistic conveniences in order to tie up loose ends.

Dean, a single father worried about his recent memory lapses, decides to write down his long-buried family secrets for his son. This is a brutally honest account of his childhood with his own father suffering from early onset Alzheimer's and the devastating consequences that ultimately tore his family apart.

Dean recounts his bouts with cutting and depression, his emancipation from his mother at 18 years of age, and his return to her and his brother when he is forced to face them when his mother becomes gravely ill.

There are no heroes here and that's what I really liked. All in all this a moving emotional journey that's rings true to reality and quite an interesting read.

I received a free copy of the novel through goodreads giveaways.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Missing Steps is a deep look into the relationships between fathers and sons. It is written from Dean's point of view and he is telling his son Aidan about his father's dementia and how it shaped his life. Missing Steps is about relationships within a family that suffers from lack of communication, resentful feelings and is dysfunctional in most respects. It is extremely well written and presented with an honest innocence of a father reaching out to his teenage son and connect with him although he lacked that connection with his own father. If you are looking for an emotional read, this one delivers several in a moving story.

I want to send my thanks to Paul Cavanagh, author and to Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for my copy of Missing Steps that I won in the Giveaway.

[E.A. Briginshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sad story of Dean Lejeunesse who has had to deal with dementia his whole life, first seeing it in his father when he was just a kid, then in his older brother, and finally in himself. This is a well written story that shows that dementia doesn't just affect the elderly, but can pull the entire family into a deep hole.

[Katherine Krige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dementia is a nasty disease, which can still be so misunderstood by far too many. Dean certainly didn't understand it as a youth, but that didn't stop it from changing the course of his life. It isn't until he is faced with the past, via a visit to his ailing mother's bedside that he can begin to make peace with the ghosts which have plagued him all his life.

[Blythe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Couldn't put it down! The story was captivating and I found myself surprised that I was enjoying a book written from the male perspective so much.