Alison Pace Through Thick and Thin

Through Thick and Thin

Alison Pace

Berkley, Aug 2007, $14.00

ISBN: 9780425215616

Manhattan resident Meredith would argue she is the exception to the swinging single rule as she has not had a date in a couple of years. She loves her job as a restaurant critic, but the food does not do her waistline any good although she admits to herself she always had a weight issue even as a child.

In Ridgewood, New Jersey Meredith's sister, Stephanie is a married stay at home mother of a six month old with a spousal problem involving abuse of painkillers. Unlike "Meres" she was always skinny as a child, but the weight gain from her pregnancy has not gone away. Although she belongs to a mommy group, she feels lonely and finds food as a solace.

When Meres and Steph talk, they form a pact to form a sister diet group to lose the excess weight. However, as each begins to be there for the other like they somewhat did as kids, they find the weight hard to lose but the renewed sibling friendship worth the price of dieting.

This interesting contemporary tale stars two likable sisters who learn life lessons about the need of balance between one's personal and professional lives. The entertaining story line contains an underlying perception about the negative correlation between aging and weight loss; once the duet understand how much more difficult it gets and will get, the real reason they made their pact is a deep need for camaraderie. THROUGH THICK AND THIN is a well written look at the pressures of work vs. that of family.

Harriet Klausner