The Real Mrs. Tobias by Sally Koslow

 Three women are involved in very complicated relationships in their roles as in-laws in The Real Mrs. Tobias by Sally Koslow, which published in September.

Veronika is the matriarch of the family, and she is tough and stern as she interferes in the lives of her son Jack and daughter-in-law Mel as well as the lives of her grandchildren Micah and his twin sister Jordan. Birdie, Micah’s wife, struggles with adjusting to New York City and the Tobias’ women. Both Veronika and Mel are psychotherapists, but they are less adept at handling the difficulties within the family as they are with other people’s problems.

Micah is in crisis mode, and all the women in the family have their opinions about what action he should be taking. Micah’s reluctance to take charge of his situation overwhelms Birdie, and she and their daughter April flee to Iowa as Birdie is having second thoughts about the marriage and the Tobias family.

Mel, who is accused of  “smothering mothering” by Jack, also has an opinion on a situation with her daughter Jordan. Of course, Veronika has a bewildering solution to Jordan’s dilemma, which is unacceptable to Mel, Birdie, and possibly Jordan.

Just when the Tobias family seems to be splintering in several directions, it is David, Veronika’s husband, whose beginning struggles with cognitive issues that shows how the women of the family can pull it back together.

Sally Koslow is also the author of novels Another Side of Paradise, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx,  The Widow Waltz, With Friends Like These, and Little Pink Slips. She is a former editor-in-chief of McCall’s Magazine, and has contributed essays and articles to The New York Times, Real Simple, and other magazines and newspapers. From Fargo, North Dakota, she lives in Manhattan with her family.