Response to Once in a Lifetime

The story was about a family of three who had friends coming back from India and needed to stay with them for a while until they could find a house of there own to live in. The family that lived in america consisted of a mother, a father, and a daughter. The new family arriving was the same except they had a son. The two families were old friends but the ones coming back from India had changed quite a bit and Hema didn't seem to mind as much as her parents did. The new family live more of an expensive lifestyle. Later we find out the reason for the return is that the mother has cancer and is dying. The little boy tells Hema this and she is devastated by the news but for many different reasons. In the end the two families drift apart again, and the mother of the little boy dies, Hema however does not regret for one second that the family came to live with them. She fell in love with the little boy.
The story was not my favorite probably because it lacked action that I usually crave from stories. It was well written, and I felt like I could picture most of the things that went on, but it still just wasn't my favorite.    I kind of wish that it would have ended in a different way, like maybe with the two kids ending up together, or even the families coming together in a time of need, however that would probably make it more of a typical story. I think Hema learned a lot from the family that came to live with him and I think she was the character who was changed the most in the story. Her parents were set in there own ways, and we don't really get to see much about the other family except for the fact that the mother dies.
I found it interesting to glimpse into a different lifestyle, however I could't really understand everything, especially the cooking, because I don't know anything about India or the people's lifestyle. Overall the story was ok to read, but I prefer to read stories with a little more action.