The Seventh Commandment

This book spans 30-plus years and tells the stories of four generations of women. It focuses on relationships; how they begin, what makes them last, and how they can cause both joy and sadness. It's about love, friendship, fidelity, honesty, and keeping secrets. Adultery has touched Sandra's life, as well as the lives of her grandmother, mother, sister, daughter, and a close friend. One is not aware of it, and one has been deeply affected by it. One has only contemplated it, one only imagined it, one does not regret it, and it is one's deepest secret. From the starry-eyed letter a soon-to-be-bride writes to herself, to the thoughts of her daughter when she reads that letter, these family members reveal themselves. They reveal how they live and love despite adultery, real or imagined, domestic abuse, the discovery that a loved one is gay, aging, and the death of a spouse.

This book spans 30-plus years and tells the stories of four generations of women. It focuses on relationships; how they begin, what makes them last, and how they can cause both joy and sadness. It's about love, friendship, fidelity, honesty, and keeping secrets. Adultery has touched Sandra's life, as well as the lives of her grandmother, mother, sister, daughter, and a close friend. One is not aware of it, and one has been deeply affected by it. One has only contemplated it, one only imagined it, one does not regret it, and it is one's deepest secret. From the starry-eyed letter a soon-to-be-bride writes to herself, to the thoughts of her daughter when she reads that letter, these family members reveal themselves. They reveal how they live and love despite adultery, real or imagined, domestic abuse, the discovery that a loved one is gay, aging, and the death of a spouse.

Barb McIntyre was born in Montreal, Quebec and now lives in Kingston, Ontario. A mother, grandmother, and retired occupational therapist, she writes to legitimize her favourite hobby – daydreaming. Except for Things Are Not Always As They Seem, and Here In The Hereafter (where she explores darker themes), she writes the kind of books she likes to read; books where ordinary people finally find, if not happiness, at least contentment. She can be reached at barbmcintyre@bell.net