TY - JOUR TI - Let the world slip DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3BV7FKG PY - 2012 AB - For the past twenty years, Paul and Barbara had devoted much of their energy to their roles as parents. However, when their son moves out to live with his new fiancée the two of them start to recognize that their marriage is ending. Paul and Barbara must each come to terms with the idea that they have become different people. Paul’s struggle becomes central as he dwells on his shortcomings as a husband. Meanwhile, Barbara desperately wants to keep the truth of the pending divorce from their son Dan; however, this is complicated by Paul’s erratic behavior and admission that he has slept with a coworker. While Paul and Barbara attempt to divide their lives from one another they are also left considering their roles as caregivers. They cannot agree how to handle the truth about the divorce because they have different ideas of their son’s independence and reliance on them. Likewise, their struggle with honesty and guilt also leaves them to reconsider their responsibility as the children of elderly parents. Toward the novel’s end Dan is shown addressing a similar struggle. He is forced to come to terms with a rewritten history of his parents and his childhood while trying to balance his commitment to his family and his faithfulness to his wife. Let the World Slip is the story of one family’s unraveling. It incorporates the struggles inherent in establishing relationships between spouses, family members, and acquaintances. The characters come to better understand themselves in the face of adversity and truth. KW - Creative Writing LA - eng ER -