Izzy is about to celebrate her 41st birthday... her mother had committed suicide on her 41st birthday. Izzy's older sister, Ellie is 43 and is just as flamboyant has her mother was. Their mother was someone I would have considered to be a cool mother if you had subtracted the mental illness part. Some of the antics that "Mom" pulled were so wonderful, it would be enough to satisfy most children, it would strengthen forever the bond between mother and daughter and teach the child to be an individual, but when the realization that Mom was crazy set in, it is painfully described in heart-wrenching detail. You feel the pain of each and every character in the book.

This story is about Isabel's struggle to find her adult path in her remaining family, which includes her maybe/maybe not so stable sister, her loving father, and her husband and the baggage between them. It is excellently written and you can easily visualize Izzy's childhood adoration of her mother, as well as feel her adult contempt at being abandoned by her.

It is a short book, plan on spending about four to six hours where you can shut off the phone and enter this world. You'll get a great return on your investment.

I read this book in two days of intense bedtime reading. It drew me in and kept me thinking all day about the characters, their strengths, and their problems. All of the main "family" characters are well developed, multi-faceted, and interesting people. The book had the power to make me feel real pain for the characters, and had the dexterity to surprise me as a reader from time to time.