by May Sarton
First published 1980
Poppy Whitelaw drops a bombshell that destroys her family's quiet routine. She tells her husband Reed she plans to leave their marriage. The announcement sends shockwaves through everyone in their orbit. Reed must grapple with the collapse of what seemed like a stable partnership. Their children face the reality that their parents' relationship was not what it appeared. Family friend Philip discovers his own surprising emotional investment in the Whitelaw marriage and must examine why their union mattered so much to him. Reed and Poppy navigate a series of difficult conversations as they try to understand how they arrived at this breaking point. Both struggle to find their footing in unfamiliar emotional territory. The book explores how a single decision can ripple outward to affect an entire network of relationships.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, relationships, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, marriage-in-crisis
156 pages · Paperback · W.W. Norton & Co