by Joan Chase
First published 1990
Margy and Ruthann Clemmons live under the unpredictable rule of their difficult father, a man whose failures follow him like shadows. When he brings home a new wife barely older than his daughters, the household dynamics shift in uncomfortable ways. The sisters must find their footing as they grow up in a home where their father's moods dictate the daily rhythm of life. His unreliable nature and explosive temperament create an atmosphere where the girls learn to read danger in small gestures and find safety in each other. As they move toward womanhood, both sisters grapple with how to break free from the patterns that have shaped their childhood while still protecting what matters most to them.
Genres: american-fiction, abuse, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Period: 20th-century
Mass Market Paperback · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: abuse, domestic-violence