Broken Glass

“Broken Glass weaves a delicate tapestry of generations within a single family as seen by its aged materfamilias who wishes to understand and reckon with those she loves most. It is throughout tender, moving, and without mush, the narrator knowing too much to condemn or sanctify anyone, including herself. Within these mysteries of selfhood and family are events of wonder, pathos, and delight—in short, the splendor and puzzle of being alive. Bravo.”


—Roy M. Anker, author of Beautiful Light: Religious Meaning in Film





“In Broken Glass, Mary VanderGoot offers us Maggie, who helps us find the extraordinary in the ordinary as she reminisces about her family. We find a narrator that is all of us as we come to terms with loss, getting older, and the legacy we leave behind as we navigate ground that is covered with the broken glass of our regrets. Mary VanderGoot has written a powerful and hopeful book that will stay with me long after its final pages.”


—Ruben Degollado, author of Throw





“Mary VanderGoot thoughtfully describes the complexities of life and relationships in a way that guides the reader to a sympathetic understanding of each character.”


—Julie Yonker, Associate Professor of Psychology, Calvin University