Jumping for Joy

THE STORY: In this dark comedy, wily, manipulative Emily Mavin has summoned her uptight Manhattanite brother, Michael, to their family home in Maryland, using the excuse that their father, Samuel, has suffered a mild heart attack. Emily is a bright, functioning schizophrenic and is certain her father's death is imminent and expects Michael to take his father's place, feeding and caring for her. She insists Michael begin immediately, without ever returning to his wife and daughter in Manhattan. Meanwhile, the big question, what will become of Emily after Samuel dies, also troubles Michael. Michael, unable to emotionally handle Emily and unwilling to inflict her wild mood swings on his New York family, plots to place her in a group home for schizophrenics while Samuel hopes to have Emily move up to New York and live with Michael and his family. As each one maneuvers to make their individual plan succeed, something entirely different occurs. We begin to see the complex relationship that exists between the caregivers and those receiving care and observe the fine line that separates normalcy from insanity in each member of this family. Interestingly, as the conniving, jockeying and wicked game-playing continue late into the night, Samuel and Michael start to see the beauty and strength of Emily and finally begin to look at her in a new light.Marans, Jon is the author of 'Jumping for Joy ', published 2006 under ISBN 9780822220893 and ISBN 082222089X.