A Scattered Life by Karen McQuestion

This was a touching book with a somewhat startling ending. Skyla Plinka is married to Thomas.  She has a daughter, Norah, who is in kindergarten.  Her life is somewhat humdrum and repressed and nothing much exciting ever happens.  Thomas's family is just like Thomas, repressed, quiet, straight and narrow.  Everything must have its place.  When Skyla gets new neighbors and gets a part time job, things begin to change.

Roxanne and Ted Bear and their 5 boys move in next door.  In contrast to Skyla's quiet and organized life, the Bears are disorganized, loud, and liberal in their lives and childrearing techiniques.  Skyla at first is apalled and then attracted to their lifestyle and she and Roxanne become friends.  Thomas's mother disapproves of Skyla's relationship with this disorganized bunch of strangers so much that one day, when she sees one of the kids on top of their van, she calls child protective services.  Skyla thinks Thomas has done this terrible deed and their relationship goes downhill from there.  Finally Audrey goes to apologize to Roxanne and ends up helping her straighten up her house, because she finds Roxanne sick in the bathroom.

JUst when things could not get any worse, Roxanne finds out that she is not pregnant as she had hoped, but that she has pancreatic cancer with a terminal diagnonsis.  Skyla is devistated, but helps Roxanne, as does Audrey, Thomas and Roxanne's family.  How all the friends, relatives and neighbors come together to make Roxanne's last days comfortable is very touching.