by Meg Wolitzer
First published 1984
When Becca's brother Stevie is drafted into the Vietnam War, he makes a bold choice: flee to Canada. Becca watches helplessly as her family fractures, her parents devastated by Stevie's desertion. As Stevie builds a new life abroad, Becca must navigate the fallout, torn between loyalty to her brother and the weight of her parents' grief. In this intimate portrait of a family in crisis, Wolitzer explores the personal costs of wartime resistance and the unbreakable bonds of blood.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, loyalty
Setting: Canada, Vietnam
Period: Vietnam War
Hardcover · William Morrow & Co
Content warnings: war