Abstract
My Heart is With You in This Sad Time is a collection of first-person narratives with female protagonists set in the Florida panhandle. While their ages, educations, socioeconomic levels and domestic circumstances vary greatly, they are alike (and like many women) in this way: they are caretakers. As such, they are used to being put in positions where they must sacrifice their own welfare for the welfare of those they love. These narratives focus on times in their lives where this role is more burdensome than ever before, and where the consequences for their actions (or inaction) are tremendous. A soon-to-be-mother discovers her husband has returned to an old habit. A mistress can't make reparations after a car accident because she could expose her married boyfriend to his family. A sister has difficulty enlisting her twin's help in caring for their dying mother. A disenchanted wife remembers better times. A widow has trouble adjusting to single-parenthood. A fourteen-year-old has to care for her mother's friend's developmentally disabled son. A young mother seeks comfort when her husband rejects her and her new son proves to be exceptionally challenging. In the end, some will change, and some will stay the same, but all will have a greater sense of just how much weight they can bear.
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