The Lavender Child

June M. Blurton is a retired speech/language pathologist.

The Protheroe family lives in a small prairie town. There are five
daughters in the family, and they are all very different. The identical
twins are identical in appearance only. Morgan is crazy about anything
to do with planes, Gale would like to be an avenging angel for all
abused children, and Celia entertains thoughts of a stage career. Their
parents, Gavin and Louise, love each other but must cope with the
negative effects of Gavin’s tumultuous childhood: he was abandoned by
his very young mother and bounced from one foster home to another.

One September Louise gives birth to a beautiful baby boy, but during
the delivery there are complications that leave the baby brain-injured.
Louise goes through an agonizing depression, but ultimately the family
pulls together. This warm and hopeful story features convincing dialogue
and a large cast of deftly drawn characters.