First published 2010
Roger Rosenblatt faces an unthinkable loss when his daughter Amy dies suddenly from an undiagnosed heart condition. Amy was a doctor, wife, and mother to three young children: six-year-old Jessica, four-year-old Sammy, and one-year-old James, nicknamed Bubbies. Roger and his wife Ginny leave their Long Island home to move in with Amy's widower Harris and help raise the children. The grandparents, known as Boppo and Mimi, must readjust to life with small children after years away from bedtime stories, homework help, and endless questions. Roger takes on the daily ritual of making each child's toast exactly as they prefer it. While Harris, a surgeon, shows remarkable strength and Ginny draws on her background as a kindergarten teacher, the family works together to rebuild their lives. They guide the three children through their grief while processing their own devastating loss. Roger chronicles how this fractured family finds ways to move forward together.
Genres: family, grief, non-fiction, biography-memoir, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Long Island
176 pages · Hardcover · Ecco
Content warnings: death, medical-trauma