But Sara has another brother. Mack, now twenty, suddenly reappears, cheerful and unconcerned, as if he had never broken his promise to help Sara with the children. With bewildering volatility, Mack swings from kindness to cruelty, affection to hostility, keeping the family on edge, his past and present a mystery. But Mack is winning over the children and sometimes the four of them stand together against Sara.
And then, when she thinks her life has room only for work and family, Sara meets Reuben Lister, a client from New York. As Sara helps him find and furnish a house, they discover a closeness neither has known before. Together, Sara and Reuben find answers to the questions: What is a mother? What is a parent? What is a family?
This is Judith Michael’s most poignant exploration of the pressures and joys facing modern adults and children, in a story that will resonate with everyone for its universal themes and discoveries.
