Normal Family

Normal Family is a wildly funny coming-of-age novel about a young boy's four consecutive holidays with his eccentric family. Over the course of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Independence Day, our young hero, Henry Pendergast, comes to know his once-famous author (and now alcoholic) grandfather George, who sobers up long enough to help Henry come to terms with the mystery surrounding his mother's mental illness. Henry somehow perseveres through a landmine of dysfunctional relatives amidst a family in decline, including siblings, parents and step family, all set against the social chaos of late-1960s America. Funny, bittersweet and highly entertaining, Normal Family might be the first novel whose entire action takes place over the family holidays.

"The book has tender moments surrounded by hilarity, along with some wonderful one-liners: “Albert (his brother) had drolly remarked our mother was someone who preferred to burn her bridges before she got on them”; “Grandpa swerved up the lawn looking like Frankenstein in search of unsuspecting villagers.”

          The Record Courier (OH) 

"I loved this...often tragi-comic, not easy to do."

          Goodreads Review

"Laughed out loud. Reminded me of Running with Scissors.      Highly recommend."

            Amazon Review

Don Trowden knows he is a nobody and likes it that way. After suffering through a lifetime of abusive family holidays, he was able to achieve some degree of emotional freedom with the publication of his first novel, Normal Family. This would not have been possible without the help of more than one highly skilled therapist. He encourages everyone who has suffered at the hands of their relatives over the holidays to escape via Normal Family. Especially around holiday time.