He was my son until he stopped calling me Dad, quite a long time ago. I had been weighed, measured, and found to be wanting.

Gerry Larrivee comes from a difficult family. Despite the dysfunction that stretches back for generations—the “Larrivee Syndrome”—Gerry has managed to survive his childhood. But when he finds himself once again single with a son of his own, things get even more complicated.

Determined that his boy will not suffer the same abuse and neglect, Gerry attempts to create a blended family with his new wife and her ten-year-old son. But the two little boys who had been the joy of their singular lives join forces to create a strain on the marriage and Gerry’s relationship with his son steadily deteriorates over the years.

SonSet: A Memoir of Family Dysfunction explores the troubled relationship between father and son—and how hard it can be to finally let go.