Each of the fifty vignettes in this hardcover book describes an interesting past event, sometimes serious but mostly humorous, that involved a member of author Art Myers's family, hence the title Family Follies. And as the author reminds us in the introduction, the definition of the word folly begs further discussion. The little stories run from a few lines to a page in length, and each narrative rather than focusing on some high drama or violent or mysterious happening concerns itself with common everyday experiences.
And that is only half the book's composition. Two trained and working artists, Ellen Dieter and Becky Myers, painters both, contributed original artwork to the book. A painting by one or the other artist can be found adjacent to each narrative. The paintings are not intended to be related to the Follies accounts, but have found a nice palette—a showcase—in the book. However, of interest to puzzle solvers, readers will indeed find some connection between each "folly" and the paired painting. It might be a word in the title, a color in the painting, or something in the subject matter of either. Or an entirely different link. But the search is enough to raise the heartbeat of a serious puzzle solver.