All That Is Mine, I Carry With Me, William Landay
Jeff Larkin and Phillip Solomon met when they were in seventh grade. The two almost 13-year-olds soon became best friends. In 2015, after a several decades long hiatus, Jeff Larkin emailed Phil to meet him for a beer. Phil, an author, was in a bit of a writer’s slump, but when he heard the details that had emerged over the intervening years, concerning the disappearance of Jeff’s mother, Jane Larkin, he became intrigued with the idea of writing her story.
Jane Larkin disappeared when she was 39-years-old, on November 12, 1975. She was the mother of three children: Jeff, Miranda and Alex. She had been married to Dan Larkin for 17 years. Her older sister, Kate, always disliked Jane’s husband Dan. She and her sister had matching rings. Jane never took hers off. When Jane disappeared, all eyes pointed to Dan Larkin, the husband, as they usually do. No evidence was found. No body was found. No indictment came. Dan professed his innocence. Tom Glover was the detective investigating Jane’s disappearance. For forty years, he carried her picture in his wallet because the case was unsolved.
Jane’s disappearance had an effect on each of her children. Miranda was the youngest, and at almost 10-years-old, she needed her mother’s guidance and love. She was often depressed. Jeff, almost 12, was in his brother’s shadow. He needed his mom’s support. He was angry for a long time. Alex, was older and soon would be off to college. He was the best able to handle the trauma and would soon leave the scene of the maelstrom.
This novel is written in four distinct parts:
Book 1 begins in 2015, when Phil and Jeff reunite. The background of the events of 1975 are introduced and carried forward.
Book 2 is told in Jane Larkin’s voice, and is Miranda’s version of the events and its effects.
Book 3 begins in 1993, when Jane Larkin’s body is found. It is told in Jeff’s voice, now almost 30-years-old. He has been estranged from his father. The discovery opens a whole new can of worms and investigations.
Book 4, takes place in 2017 and is told in Dan’s voice. He is now 81-years-old and in serious decline from Alzheimers. New discoveries have been made about the murder. In 2017, the case is closed.
Briefly, this is the story. Miranda Larkin comes home from school to a surprisingly quiet, empty house, in November of 1975. Where was her mother? She patiently waited, assuring herself that her mother would soon return. Although her car was found, Jane Larkin was never seen again. Miranda could not imagine life without her mother. She began to unravel. Jeff Larkin insists that his mother will return. Miranda and Jeff are close. They comfort each other, but soon, Jeff begins to unravel. He blames his dad for his mother’s disappearance. Dan Larkin is not a soft and fuzzy person. He is compulsive about neatness and order. His reactions seem wooden to them, almost like they were prepared in advance. Alex, the oldest child is more aloof and less judgmental. He is a successful athlete in high school, soon to graduate and go on to college. He is consumed with himself and wishes to study to be a lawyer like his dad, Dan Larkin. In 1994, when some members of the family decide to sue Dan Larkin for wrongful death in a civil suit. Alex does not sue his father. The court scenes are riveting and revealing. The posturing of the lawyers, their performance art and showmanship is well portrayed. Is vengeance or justice the ultimate goal, in the end? Is it fair to base any case on circumstantial evidence? As secrets are revealed, are they misinterpreted, over judged? Should family members sue each other civilly if they can’t get what they perceive as justice in a criminal court?
The characters in this novel, major and minor, are all well developed and defined. The author examines the idea of murder inside and out. He points out that when Phil Solomon knew he should end the life of a deer that was suffering, he was not sure he could do it. Afterward, he felt no remorse. He knew he did what was right. Is that how a murderer feels? Is their behavior so outrageous or delusional that they feel nothing afterwards? When Dan Larkin decides he wants to end his own life, is he committing a kind of murder? If family members do not prevent it, are they committing murder too? If they assist in any way are they guilty of murder? If you believed a relative committed murder, even though there was no proof of the crime, could you forgive them or would you forever insist on their guilt. What really happened to Dan Larkin at the end of the book? What really happened to Jane Larkin? Was her missing ring ever recovered? What is the meaning of Miranda’s tattoo that translates to the title of this book?