Curious about what a "Conversation Guide" might be, we flipped to the back of the book and found that it's basically an interview with the author--who says, of her main character, "I feel sorry for Peri. I love her for all her weaknesses. I don't condone what she does, but I understand it." She seems, also, to understand what a mother's "breaking point" might be . . . and, she adds, "In my fiction--unlike my real life--I am able to make sense of those relationships."

But didn't we promise we'd lighten up? This one is a bit . . . heavier. But it's a story every beleaguered mother will take comfort from. And comfort is good. —© Ann LaFarge, The Voice Ledger.

Peri MacKenzie is the proud mother of two beautiful teenagers and an adorable little girl who is severely handicapped.   Her ex-husband marries another woman and stops sending money that helps support her and the children.  When she is left with no choice but to discontinue the special care for her little girl, sell the house and move into an apartment that is much too small, she loses touch with all reality.

One day while the teenagers are in school and she is taking care of her little girl, she has had enough and walks out of the apartment to have peace and quiet.  Only she drives away and leaves them to fend for themselves. 

When the kid’s grandfather gets the phone call that no one is taking care of his grandkids, he decides it is time to take care of his family and try to make amends for failing his own children.  He must locate his daughter and get her the help she needs before it is too late and she loses her children for good.  But he soon finds himself in the middle of a custody battle with the children’s other grandmother and their father, who only want the teenagers.

Will Peri come back to reality before she loses her three children, the only things in life she truly loves?  Or will her ex-husband get control of their kids, because of a lapse of judgment on her part?

Will Peri finally forgive her father and stop blaming him for everything that has happened in her life?

WHEN YOU GO AWAY will leave you breathless.  Ms. Inclán pens a tale that is poignant and highly emotional.  I did not put this novel down until I read the last page.  Ms. Inclán writes a courageous tale about family life and the tragedies that can happen when you are pushed to your limits.  I cried so much throughout this tale; I went through a half a box of tissues.  Mothers will be able to relate to this awe inspiring novel and understand the hope that Ms. Inclán portrays in WHEN YOU GO AWAY.   

By Romance Junkies Reviewer Billie Jo, www.romancejunkies.com

Carly, Peri’s oldest daughter finds herself taking on her mother’s responsibilities and tending to her disabled, bed ridden younger sister. Her brother is too busy running with the wrong crowd to be bothered to help her out at home. With her mother’s recent abandonment all she can do is hold on to the hope her mother will come back and save her from all this stress and worry.

Carl Peri’s father tried to be a good father. There were some areas he lacked in, as being divorced he didn’t have his children full time. When everything collides for the children, he finds himself stepping into help his family and questioning his own behavior toward his daughter all these years.

A novel that details family life and its very real struggles Jessica Barksdale Inclan has brought to fiction, a story that could be true in hundreds of homes across America. She took a very real situation, and brought it out in such a way that any reader could understand what motivated these people. One could also find themselves in sympathy with Peri, the supposed bad guy of the story.

To be fair to the plight of each character, there was no real bad guy. Each was struggling in their own ways to come to terms with Brooke, the youngest child’s disabilities. But in the adults, everyone became so wrapped up with how to handle their own lives they all forgot for a few moments about the subject of all the anguish, Brooke.

This was a story that will keep you turning page after page, at times your heart breaking to see the destruction of this family. As they begin to repair bridges that have broken, heal emotional bonds within themselves and each other, and start reaching out to each other again, the reader will find themselves crying and rejoicing over the little accomplishments with them. Told through the eyes of both the mother and the adolescent, you are allowed to see both sides of the issues. I found this to be an emotional, moving story and highly recommend it for your summer read list!

Reviewed by Katy, www.aromancereview.com

These are the frantic thoughts of an overburdened single mother on the verge of doing the unthinkable -- abandoning her children. Beginning "When You Go Away" with Peri Mackenzie and her inner turmoil, author Jessica Inclán immediately brings her readers into the emotional environment of a family in danger of falling apart.

Inclán, who teaches writing, mythology and women's literature at Diablo Valley College, is the author of two previous novels that probed the depths of family relationships. An ongoing theme for this Orinda author is the way in which the loss of one family member, usually the mother, can destroy the fabric of the family unit.

In her first novel "Her Daughter's Eyes," she explored the impact on two teenage sisters and their father following the death of the girls' mother. "The Matter of Grace" dealt with the lives of three women friends, each going through upheaval in their marriages while watching another friend waste away with cancer. Now, in her most recent piece of fiction, Inclán examines the repercussions on children when a father abandons the mother, who then in despair literally runs away from the children.

Although these plots sound almost like soap operas, Inclán is a truly gifted writer who has a profound understanding of the characters she creates. They are real people, neither wholly good nor bad, but in most cases overwhelmed by responsibilities. If the adults are overcome, the children in her novels are confused, angry and longing for a stable home.

The family in When You Go Away is remarkably ordinary, on the surface: Mother, father, three children.

However, the third child, Brooke, is a 5 year-old, suffering since birth from both cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy.

The degree of care required of Peri to maintain Brooke's health has driven away her husband, Graham, who can't cope with the change brought about in their family life. He finds attention and love elsewhere, divorces Peri and moves away from the family.

The older Mackenzie children, Carly (13) and Ryan (15) react to their changed circumstances in different ways.

Ryan spends as little time at home as possible, preferring to be with friends. Carly endeavors to help her mother with Brooke's needs, and eventually finds herself the sole caretaker when Peri is no longer able to cope and leaves.

At this point, the novel really begins as the two teenagers realize they must turn to an adult for help. They are fortunate in finding an older neighbor, a nurse, who realizes that Brooke needs hospital care. Thanks to this kindly neighbor, the children's plight is brought to the attention of Peri's father and Graham's mother. The grandparents come to the rescue, but also begin their own combat for possession of the children.

Of particular interest to local readers is the setting for Inclán's novels -- the East Bay. Peri's estranged father, Carl, lives in Montclair; grandmother Garnet Mackenzie resides in Piedmont; Peri and the children have been living in Walnut Creek. There is a picnic in Montclair Park, various trips through the Caldecott Tunnel, and other references that lead a reader to imagine these are the people living next door.

The author really shines when presenting the complexities of family life. Just as there is much love and attachment between the various members, so also are there conflicts. Peri and her father have been estranged since he left her mother and her when she was 7. Garnet and Carl have never been comfortable with each other, he finding her "snooty" and she considering him self-centered. Now these two must compromise and work together for the good of the grandchildren they both love.

Peri, the devoted mother who fled from the burdens she couldn't handle, desperately wants her children back, even as she faces a charge of felony child endangerment. Even Graham, whose departure triggered the family's demise, longs to do what's right for his children. However, his father-in-law wonders what had turned a loving father into one who has to beg for his children's love.

"Was it just Brooke? Or Peri? Or was it the full plate of responsibilities that drove him off? Why had he stopped sending money? Or had he? Carl shook his head. He'd never understand family the way he was supposed to, how one stayed and lived through it despite everything."

Perhaps the most poignant moments come from the thoughts, words and actions of the two teenagers, especially Carly. She wonders if she's like her mother, half good and half bad. Good enough to care for Brooke and worry about everyone; bad enough to hate her mom, dad, Ryan and her grandparents.

Inclán has written a powerful novel, filled with the emotional ups and downs of real people in rocky relationships. She takes them and her readers from the family's downfall to the beginnings of a healing process of renewal. —© Barbara Sloan, The Montclarion, April 12, 2003.