Monkeys, written by Susan Minot, was published in 1986. It takes place on the coast of New England. The Vincent children have all lived a neglected life, but as a family, they pull together to become one again. This narrative is about how they become close to overcome an obstacle in life.
This is in Sophie's view, and it is about the 7 Vincent children. The mother dies, which leaves The Vincent children and their father alone. The older children do not feel how the younger children and their father feel after this death. However, this death causes the rest of the family to draw together, something that had been ignored before her death. While the mother tries to hold the children close, she leaves her husband and has an affair with another man, Wilbur Kittredge, but Kittredge also leaves her. After Rosie, the mother, dies, their father remarries, and he decides to pull his original family close by taking Rosie's ashes and scattering them in the place she wished them to be in. This is the end of the book, where they are all united for once.
Minot's life is similar to what is portrayed in Monkeys. Her mother was also killed, and she had six siblings. This book shows the true meaning of family, where they all stick together in the end, to overcome life.
