Errands

by Judith Guest

As bestselling author of the critically acclaimed masterpiece, Ordinary People, Judith Guest knows the subtle rhythms of family life. With a perceptive eye that captures the nuanced relationships of husbands and wives, parents and children, and the constant tug-of-war of sibling rivalry, she creates remarkably real characters struggling with profound dilemmas. Now, in her luminous new novel, Errands, Guest once again gives us an unforgettable family that finds the fabric of their lives unraveling.



North of Bay City, Michigan, past the small highway town of Au Gres, past acres of sugar beets and fields of grazing sheep, the Browner family enters the slow curve in the road that leads onto a view of Lake Huron. Keith, Annie, and their three children have rented the same cottage here every summer for the past six years. They know this place like the back of their station wagon. But a shadow has fallen over this particular Keith is dying of cancer. It is a fate he has accepted. Annie however can not, will not.



Once safe inside a happy seventeen-year marriage, Annie finds her entire world turned upside down after Keith's death. Her sister, Jess, does her best to comfort Annie, only to find the boundaries of their own close relationship stretched to its limits. Consumed with grief, mounting bills, everyday tasks that seem insurmountable, and three kids that have become nagging sources of frustration, Annie fails to see that the family is beginning to come apart.



Thirteen-year-old Harry, the oldest, changes into a brooding teen, roaming the streets with a new rebellious friend; Julie, the youngest at nine, starts to lie about her whereabouts, but keeps a secret journal that reveals her true feelings; and Jimmy, sandwiched forever in the middle, can no longer take the pressure of being the peacemaker. As each child moves toward his or her own level of acceptance, a second threatening event will transform both the children and Annie, teaching them that, even with the loss of Keith, they are still a family--a different family, but one that is no less loving, real, and enduring than they had been with a father and husband in the house.



Searing in its depiction of despair, warm in its evocation of family and the fragile ties that bind them, and tempered with gentle humor and dazzling wit, Errands is nothing less than a triumph. Judith Guest strikes at the very core of loss, and has written her most extraordinary novel to date.



A MAIN SELECTION OF THE LITERARY GUILD(c)

AN ALTERNATE SELECTION OF THE DOUBLEDAY BOOK CLUB(c)


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Fiction, Grief, Love, Family, Drama, Contemporary, Adult Fiction

366 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 12, 1991

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish this book. The writing is good, it's set in Michigan near where I live, but it is just too intense, too sad, too everything. I made it to page 176 and just could not endure anymore of the heartache.

[Ayanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐️

A story on grief and the dynamic between lives that carry on, searching for comfort and meaning in this puzzling world.

“Riddle of destiny, who can show
What thy short visit meant, or know
What thy errand here below?”
- Charles Lamb

[Mama · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read Judith Guest before (Ordinary People) and liked her characterization. This book was heavy and poignant. I found it an interesting look at a difficult subject. I think Guest is great with her characters. A bit too much language for my taste.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very well written and the characterization is really well done, but the story is unbelievably HOPELESS! I know that the reality of life can be quite sad, especially when a family dies from cancer, but I am not sure what the purpose of this book was. The end leaves you hanging.

[Luanne Bowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family's struggles but hopeful in the end.

Doesn't always identify speakers and thinkers so a little confusing at times.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read author Judith Guest's book ORDINARY PEOPLE years ago and though it was incredible, so when I saw this book used, I picked it up. This is another story about a family tragedy. This time, it is the father who is dying/dies, and the rest of the family - including the mother, 3 children, and aunt - who is left to cope. This was a difficult read not only due to the subject matter itself, but also due to the fact that the majority of the narrative involves the kids being horrible to each other and the mother being horrible to everyone. Yes, they are all grieving and so it's understandable, but it still doesn't make for a pleasant read. Only in the last 30 pages or so does the author evoke real compassion for the characters and what they are going through. Finally, be aware that this is an old novel, likely set in the early to mid 1990s, meaning that there are no cell phones or other modern developments, giving the book a more dated feel.

[Woodstock Pickett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Errands is a lovely story of a family overwhelmed with grief and change when the husband of the family, the father of three children dies from an inoperable brain tumor.
The surviving wife, the two sons, and the daughter all struggle to manage their new unfamiliar lives.
Guest has a masterful ability to portray a family's inner and outer life, as I read I was always aware that all of the members of this family loved and cared for each other.
It took me over 30 years to realize Guest had written this book! So pleased I thought to browse the library catalog!

[Susan Hull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young father dies of cancer, leaving behind wife and 3 children. Alternately depressing and frustrating as none of the characters seem to have any compassion for each other, nor any ability to communicate their feelings.

[Lettie Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. Can't say I'd recommend it.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like anything about this book. Depressing story without an end. I saw potential so saw it through. Wish I hadn't.

[Roseann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little sad, but well written and thought provoking

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this old title in a Little Free Library. It is relentless family trauma drama, well-written but depressing.

[Catherine Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but very depressing at times.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love family dramas and this one is great.

[Kat Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sad topic. A family falling apart in grief and unable to connect with each other. Unfortunately, the story unfolded in a rambling fashion. I couldn’t connect with them either,

[Karlajansenmiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe later when my crying has eased off a bit ❤️

[Patricia lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotional and beautifully written.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhere along the highway, just past the small farming community of Au Gres, Michigan, the Browner family is on their way to take a vacation. This has been their routine for the past six years, and they know it like the back seat of their family's old station wagon. Just north of Bay City, Michigan, taking the highway past Au Gres, leads to a stunning view of Lake Huron.

Keith, Annie, and their three children have rented the same cottage here every summer for the past six years. However, a shadow has fallen over this particular trip; Keith has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. While this is a diagnosis that Keith has accepted as his fate, Annie steadfastly refuses to accept what is an inevitable conclusion. She honestly cannot accept that their lives together are coming to such an abrupt end; she absolutely will not accept such a fate.

Annie's once stable, secure and blissfully happy marriage to Keith soon comes to an end after seventeen years together. After his death, Annie finds her entire world turned completely upside down. Her three children have inexplicably become sources of nagging frustration for her. Consumed with her grief, struggling against mounting bills, and facing an onslaught of once-simple everyday tasks that now seem insurmountable, Annie fails to comprehend that her family is actually beginning to come apart.

Annie's sister, Jess, does her best to comfort her, yet she has also begun to realize that the boundaries of their own close relationship are being stretched to their limits. Annie's three children are also dealing with their father's loss in their own ways; whether for good or ill. Thirteen-year-old Harry, the eldest of the Browner children, has slipped into a strange new attitude, brooding and angry, roaming the streets with a rebellious new friend. Julie, the youngest child at nine, starts to lie about her whereabouts, although she keeps a secret journal that reveals her true feelings.

Jimmy, forever sandwiched in the middle at eleven-years-old, has always been the peacemaker of the family. It is a role that he can no longer stand for himself, as the pressure of such a placement is becoming so much more overwhelming for the child. As each child moves toward his or her own level of acceptance, a second threatening life event will transform the children as well as Annie herself - teaching them all that, even with the devastating loss of Keith, they are still a family - albeit a different family, yet one which is no less loving, real, and enduring than they had been with him as their husband and father.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, it is a touching and poignant story that really drew me into its flow and pace. This was such a well-developed plot, peopled with a variety of intriguing characters and an excellent storyline. I give this book a definite A+!

[Rrshively · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book begins before the husband/father in this story dies. It includes his inner thoughts as well as those of his family, including sister-in-law. The story is centered around the family's reactions to his illness and death. The children are basically good kids who have great difficulties in adjusting to the death of their father. Predictably, the mother is so wrapped up in her own grief that she has nothing left to give to her children who need her so much. I thought it took her an exceedingly long time to be ready to meet the needs of her children. I'd like to think that my very strong inate mother instincts would have made me concentrate on the needs of my children first if I were in the same situation. But...I've never been there, so who knows?

This book also gives a real feeling of place and involves us with the point of view of all of the major characters.

[mz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read "Ordinary People" as a high schooler for English class and was deeply moved. Just as that book was perfect and deeply touching for that stage of my life, so also "Errands" was the same for this stage of my life, where I am married and less naive about this next stage of family life.

I started and finished this novel today in the span of about six straight hours. I will remember it as as chain of pearls of beautiful, true, and touching moments that brought me to weeping for how beautiful yet tragic are these lives we lead. How hard we all try but fail... And yet succeed in creating some measure of beauty.

Perhaps it takes a certain kind of person to read Judith Guest with as much admiration as I do. If so, then I recommend this book highly to all who have experienced grief or divisive hurt in their families... Which is likely quite a few of us these days.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Its possible to like an author but not her book. Depressing and couldn't keep track of everyone. So many names of so many characters as she tries to introduce us to all these "ordinary people" going about boring everyday activities in between the stalwart brave man rapidly fading into death. The lake and the meals, and the drives, and family visits and kids squabbles etc. Exhausting, so yes, the main character, Annie is exhausted and tense but does the reader have to feel the same?
Stopped reading.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Judith Guest is a master of creating real stories & real characters. Even when delving into the different perspectives of each character, you find yourself completely able to fall into their mind-- to relate to their hopes, dreams, and failings. Guest is greatly underrated as one of the best authors of our time. I highly recommend Ordinary People, one of her more famous novels, as well. I adored this book, and I know I won't be able to stop thinking about it for quite a long time.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ordinary People is one of my absolute earth shatteringly favorite books, so I thought I'd try another of Judith Guests. Happily I liked it. It wasn't amaaazing, but it was very sad and pretty good. About a woman whose husband dies and who has to find a way to go on with her life.

[Cindy Hull · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. Like her earlier book, Ordinary People, Guest draws the reader into families in pain. In writing about death and grief, her characters come alive. The pressure of raising children alone, the financial uncertainty, and the loneliness are depicted in detail that is both hard to read, and impossible to put down.

[Ghizlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a great book, a real and deep story about a women who lost her husband and left with 3 kids. so she trys to manage her life, to find a job, and to accept the death of her partner.
I really recommande it because it is a part of our daily life and it shows us an example of people who suffer lonely

[Momruns5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sad but so true to life story about how losing a loved one can make you so angry. I think that might be the way I would deal with this (wrongly). Hopefully if anything like this ever happens, it won't take this long to deal with the pain and cause such damage to my family like this mother did. But I so understood how she dealt with the pain.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure I ever read "Ordinary People," but the movie made a big impact on me. So I looked forward to this novel. It had some similar themes -- how a death in the family has an impact on the remaining members, but it just didn't seem to have the power or deep insight I had hoped for.

[Jane Hendrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts out with anticipation of being a painful tear-jerker, and I almost abandoned it. But was glad I hung on. It does have the emotional rollercoaster angst of Guest books like Ordinary People, but not so intense (and that was OK with me).

[Su · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think you could consider this story a realistic view of a family coping with the death of their husband and father. You could feel all their pain as they struggled through their first year without him.

[Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but not as illuminating as Ordinary People. Still some touching moments dealing with the death of a husband and father. I found the children's struggles to find their footing more heart wrenching than Anne's.