A work of fiction that reads like a collection of memoir pieces.
The voices are so down-to-earth and familiar and the events so much like real life that readers will feel like they know the characters. Grace is a wonderful, witty woman who works her way up to a well-paid and prestigious position and then gives it up to work for an organization devoted to helping victims of domestic violence. You learn to love her right away and are glad when she meets Victor, a smart and gentle man. You feel the pain of Victor’s two children through his ex-wife, Kelli: Ava, a precocious teenager, helps her emotionally fragile mother and cares for her younger brother, Max. Max and Ava live with Kelli and spend alternate weekends with Victor until Kelli dies shortly after learning that the husband she herself had asked to leave is engaged to be married to Grace. From the chapters about Kelli, one can sense a painful past, ultimately revealed. What keeps the reader turning pages is not suspense (there are no real surprises here) but rather the desire to keep company with the likable cast.
An uplifting and heartwarming experience.
