Free Choice

I would love to know what everyone thinks about Amy Bloom’s “Come To Me”. After reading the two stories I really liked it myself. I know the subject matter is controversial and probably some people will disapprove, but I was going purely on talent, and the ideas for the stories.
The first story “ Love Is Not A Pie” was really interesting, and definitely not as controversial as the second story. I can understand this family. They did not call themselves normal, but on the outside they were “normal” to the rest of the world. They were loving, educated, and took care of the children. There’s nothing you can really say that they did wrong. There was no abuse, neglect, and fights. They lived to enjoy themselves, and to be happy. The children got it. I really thought Ellen made a right decision not to marry a man, who could not make her happy, and who she couldn’t share everything with. OK, so the mother had another man on the side, but the husband knew. If it was all-good with him, then why should we judge? I don’t promote infidelity, but maybe in some relationships it works. After all, if people are grown-ups, and fairly prudent, they are capable of making their own decisions. In Buddhism it is forbidden to do anything that brings pain to others, and I think even Buddhism would not disapprove of this complicated relationship. All parties involved seemed happy, and completely OK with the whole arrangement.
The other story, “Sleepwalking”, was a lot more controversial. I know, that people, who just went through a life changing experience, often do things out of character, and things they would never do if their lives would not be changed forever. That’s why I understand why Julia slept with her stepson, as wrong as it was. On the other hand, her stepson was an adult. I don’t know if he was in love with his stepmother prior to his father’s death, or if he wanted to take his father’s place. Maybe he was just young, and in such discomfort, that he needed to be with someone, or maybe his hormones were going crazy. I don’t approve of sleeping with one’s step-children or step-parents, but then again, the characters went through a life-changing event, and maybe they were a bit lost and needed to feel close and connected. What do you think?