Richard Haddock

The Family Richard Haddock

The Marottas were the quintessential family; Joe and Janet were model parents; their children popular and full of life. Danny was handsome and funny, the All American kid. Diane was the tomboy, able to hold her own in back yard games or the back seat of a car. David was serious and quiet. Yet the three, so different, were a close-knit, inseparable group. The entire family fed on one another, sharing love, respect and a dry wit that spared no one. When Danny is killed in an automobile accident, the family goes into shock. Family bonds, once so strong, seem strained. Janet tries to pull them all back together, planning a retirement party for Joe. The story takes place over the next three days, as each member of the family brings their problems back home into the comforting crucible of tender, sharing love, hoping to heal and resolve. The unfolding drama is witnessed by the imprisoned soul of Danny, confined to the physical boundaries of the Marotta home, unable to do anything but watch and listen. He tells the story from his perspective, recounting events and characters, espousing his folksy philosophy, wondering how he can help those he loves so dearly. Filled with drama, comedy and characters that delight and amuse, "The Family" is a warm, funny tale of happiness, trauma and renewed hope. It is a timely story, replete with the unique problems of life's passages, a story that transcends death, where a family misplaces, then rediscovers, the very essence of life itself, indestructible love.