You have to suspend some belief but I didn't feel it took away from the book. 

This was a good story mixed with name themes- sorrow, forgiveness, mystery, second chances, magical realism and more. There is a whole story missing from people's memories

We have 2 families- The Haywood's whose magic runs through the women. They can take your sorrow and bury it in their shadow garden to take away pain. The Bonner's whose bourbon can make you forget memories of the past.

As a Bonner (Kaden)comes back into town and people only remember his name and a Haywood (Irene) falls seemingly quick for him, the families are at war  once again. But there is something happening to the shadow garden and this summer, the families need to find a way to find one again the memories of that lost summers to put things back to rights.

Make sure to read the author's note and her basis behind the story. It says things more beautifully than i ever could.