CHARMED

In Rosenthal’s novel, a young woman uncovers the truth about her past, and finds the love she always wanted in an unexpected place.

When 26-year-old Prisca Weld attends her father’s 70th birthday party in Brooklyn, New York, she has no idea how her life is about to change—first for the worse, then for the better. She’s long been committed to helping her domineering father, Don, run the family construction business. Things are complicated by the fact that her dad and her older brother, Asher, are in constant conflict, and that the siblings’ narcissistic mother left their family long ago to pursue a television acting career.Meanwhile,Prisca’s life is in a rut; she seems to be just going through the motions without any sense of individuality or purpose. When her ex-boyfriend from high school, Nick Fontaine, suddenly appears at Don’s party, she’s confronted with her unresolved feelings for him; they’d been discussing marriage when he’d suddenly left to go to Las Vegas years ago. When he tells her some shocking news, she’s distraught, and Tim Aldrich, a surgeon who’s a family friend, is there to pick up the pieces, which wins her heart. As the story goes on, it gradually reveals Prisca’s family’s backstory, and her relationship with Nick becomes even more complicated; she also grapples with sudden loss. Rosenthal delivers a dialogue-driven story that’s full of drama, featuring multiple characters with traumatic pasts. Along the way, the story addresses a range of difficult issues, including alcoholism, domestic abuse, suicide, bullying, and grief. It dives headfirst into family drama at the outset, rapidly introducing each character and effectively hinting at their emotional baggage. Some of the interactions feel exaggerated and a bit jarring at first, and the reader may be slow to warm to the main players. However, the author makes sure to carefully weave the various relationships together, and the story becomes more engaging and complex as it unfolds.

A slow-burning but compelling love story with flawed characters and complex family dynamics.