Lala Page is loving life.  She has a great job, wonderful home and a good man she has been with for over six years.  They are looking toward the future, when suddenly her life starts a downward spiral.  JOY & PAIN is her story of realizing life isn’t as it appears and life is full of joy and pain.

Lala must deal with betrayal and try to move forward with her life.  In this process, she starts to mentor a young boy who is struggling with the fact his mother has left the family.  When Lala finds the boy's mother, she also opens more drama than she ever could have realized.  Lala also befriends Sydney, an older married gentleman, who turns into a father figure for her, but she also becomes the confidante for Sydney’s wife.  With so much going on in Lala’s life, it is a wonder she can keep it together and all she wants to do is get over the pain of past hurts and help others in need.  The problem is she tends to get in too deep and makes some impulsive decisions that do more bad than good.  Everything Lala deals with and endures leads her on the road to self-discovery.

As a fan of Franklin White, I have anxiously awaited his newest tome.  JOY & PAIN exhibits many of the finer attributes of White as a writer.  One is his ability to write in a female’s voice and delve into the issues women must deal with.  He does bring the drama in this tale, even if at times it may not be warranted.  I would have loved to have more background on Lala so I could understand her naiveté and impulsiveness.  I also would have liked to see her character move past the anger of her betrayal instead of lingering in it.  With so many subplots, the story was bigger than Lala’s issues and the focus seemed to be on the drama surrounding her friends and acquaintances.  The pacing was moved along by the predicaments Lala found herself a part of.  A natural progression of the main character was lacking and the ending just seemed unsettled.  Although this story didn’t meet all my expectations, it was a quick read with some great topics for further discussion.

Reviewed by Cashana Seals
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers