This book is about a suicide stand-off and the family members on the outside. It's a very interesting story and made for a great discussion.

Twelve hours in the life of a wife and mother, and two life-long friends, The Far End of Happy was a painful yet awakening experience. Jeff and his wife Veronica (a/k/a Ronnie) are dealing with a broken marriage and a crumbling relationship. Today marks the day that Ronnie has asked Jeff to leave the house so that she and their two sons can move forward with their lives. Jeff’s alcohol abuse and mounting abuse of credit cards has left irreparable damage to Ronnie’s heart and pocketbook. The morning of Jeff’s departure, there is a strange cloud hanging in the air and the darkness finds their family torn between a husband/father threatening to kill himself and a wife and sons fearing his rage could turn on them. The story takes you through the next 12 hours in not only their lives but the lives of Jeff and Ronnie’s mothers – lifelong friends who have been there for each other through thick and thin. It seems that no one is immune to pain -- some just cover it up better than others. It isn't necessarily a feel good story, but an addictive walk filled with communication breakdowns, invisible blinders that distort the truth and a sense of failure passed down from generation to generation.

My favorite line: You cannot force a man to drink something life-sustaining if he thirsts for something different. You can't force him to stay afloat if he won't swim.