First published 2005
Vera and Nadezhda have spent decades as rivals, but their father's announcement changes everything. The recently widowed man plans to marry a much younger woman who clearly wants his money more than his affection. The sisters set aside their bitter history to stop this marriage. Their father's new fiancée proves more cunning than they expected. She outmaneuvers their every attempt to expose her true motives. Meanwhile, their father retreats into his peculiar passion for writing about Ukrainian tractor development, seemingly oblivious to the battle raging around him. A hurricane strikes, forcing the family together and unearthing long-buried secrets. The storm becomes a catalyst that reshapes all their relationships. What begins as a simple mission to protect their father evolves into something deeper. The sisters must confront not only the scheming woman but also the painful truths about their own fractured family bonds.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Ukraine
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
294 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press HC, The