2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #2 discussion

Sam’s sister Tracy tries to tell her that their parents’ breakup wasn’t all the fault of their mother but meets serious resistance. She also hints that what was going on with him at the time may have contributed to the failure to close the Fitzgerald case. What do you think about this situation, especially given that their mother left the children, too?

I think that Tracy knew the situation and that her dad was not able to be completely clear headed when his wife left him. What a shame all the way around. Will Sam ever learn this? will she recover from the pedestal crumbling a bit?

Sam has spent a lot of time hating her mother. It will take time, like Freddie, for her to reconcile whatever she learns. I wonder what was going on and why he allowed Sam to think the worse of her mother. Regardless, it does seem that her mother hasn't reached out to the girls for a long time.

As the oldest sister, Tracy has more knowledge about her parents than Sam. Also, Sam is such a daddy's girl, so it would be impossible for her to be objective when it comes to her parents' marital problems.

Of course, one cannot ignore the fact that regardless of what was going on in their marriage, Skip's wife abandoned her daughters. Skip is the parent who stayed and cared for them.

@Sharon - it's an interesting parallel with Freddie's father. He obviously left his wife and son to protect them from his illness - bipolar disorder is devastating not only for the sufferer but for those who love them as well.
It could be considered a selfless act, and the fact that he returns because he is concerned about Freddie inheriting it is commendable. It must have been very difficult for him.

I agree Lauren. It is commendable that Freddie's father came back to warn him.

No one, but the two people involved, knows what happens in a marriage. Tracy, being the oldest saw and understood a lot more than Sam. Sam loves her father and wants to believe her mother is at solely at fault, but that is rarely the case in most breakups.

I can see how the breakup would affect Skip's life and work, but I just can't see that it would impact him to the degree that he would let a child' killer walk. I always thought that Skip was more professional than that. I would have thought that if the breakup was affecting him to that degree, he would have gotten help. Yeah, I know, the whole macho thing, but this was a child's life.