First published 2010
Becca and John's wedding day ends in unthinkable tragedy, leaving two families shattered. The Tetherlys and Copakens could not be more different. Class and background divide them, but grief now binds them together. Each summer in Red Hook, Maine, they return to grapple with their loss. Iris, a tense New York professor, watches her marriage to Daniel crumble under the weight of sorrow. Meanwhile, the two surviving children, Ruthie and Matt, find themselves drawn to each other in ways that complicate an already fragile situation. Waldman follows each character as they navigate their own path through mourning. Some find unexpected connection. Others discover that tragedy can either destroy relationships or forge them anew. The families must decide whether honoring Becca and John's memory means staying apart or coming together despite their differences.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Maine, Red Hook
343 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday
Content warnings: death