Hardcover, 272 pages
Published January 31st 2017 by St. Martin's Press
A story from debut author Abby Fabiaschi that is "as absorbing as it is illuminating, and as witty as it is heartbreaking."
Maddy is a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother, host of excellent parties, giver of thoughtful gifts, and bestower of a searingly perceptive piece of advice or two. She is the cornerstone of her family, a true matriarch...until she commits suicide, leaving her husband Brady and teenage daughter Eve heartbroken and reeling, wondering what happened. How could the exuberant, exacting woman they loved disappear so abruptly, seemingly without reason, from their lives? How they can possibly continue without her? As they sift through details of her last days, trying to understand the woman they thought they knew, Brady and Eve are forced to come to terms with unsettling truths.
Maddy, however, isn’t ready to leave her family forever. Watching from beyond, she tries to find the perfect replacement for herself. Along comes Rory: pretty, caring, and spontaneous, with just the right bit of edge...but who also harbors a tragedy of her own. Will the mystery of Maddy ever come to rest? And can her family make peace with their history and begin to heal?
Maddy is a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother, host of excellent parties, giver of thoughtful gifts, and bestower of a searingly perceptive piece of advice or two. She is the cornerstone of her family, a true matriarch...until she commits suicide, leaving her husband Brady and teenage daughter Eve heartbroken and reeling, wondering what happened. How could the exuberant, exacting woman they loved disappear so abruptly, seemingly without reason, from their lives? How they can possibly continue without her? As they sift through details of her last days, trying to understand the woman they thought they knew, Brady and Eve are forced to come to terms with unsettling truths.
Maddy, however, isn’t ready to leave her family forever. Watching from beyond, she tries to find the perfect replacement for herself. Along comes Rory: pretty, caring, and spontaneous, with just the right bit of edge...but who also harbors a tragedy of her own. Will the mystery of Maddy ever come to rest? And can her family make peace with their history and begin to heal?
My Thoughts…
A mother commits suicide leaving behind a self-absorbed husband and a teenage daughter who now have to try to figure out their lives without her. The story alternates between three narrators. Maddy, the mother, tells her story as she watches her family and friends try to figure out how to cope with her death. Eve is the daughter who is trying to figure out why her mother committed suicide, what is now important in her life, and how can she ever be “normal” again. Brady is the husband and father of Eve and he now has to take care of himself and take care of Eve.
What I took away from this book is how much a person is taken for granted. A mother who takes care of her family seems unappreciated, a father who works hard to provide for his family seem unappreciated, and the daughter who is just enjoying life, learning how to manage life may seem to not appreciate anyone. Yet when one of those people are no longer involved in your life you realize how much you need them, miss them, and how much you need them.
I finished the book and thought about the characters, the family, and their story. Eve, Maddy, and Brady stayed in my heart long after I finished their story. This is a debut book by an author that is now on my must-read list.
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Purchase your own copy on Amazon or Barnes and NobleThank you to Ann-Marie at GetRedPR for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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