Quade expanded a short story into this expansive and powerful novel. It shares a year-in-the-life of the Padilla family living in New Mexico. Angel, a pregnant teen, comes to live with her estranged father and grandmother. Her father, Amadeo, is an unemployed alcoholic who tries to soothe his tortured soul by portraying Jesus in a Good Friday procession, nails drilled into his hands and all. His mother, Yolanda, is keeping a secret from her family: She's dying. A host of characters swirl--and toil--around these main three as they confront the complexities of Earthly life, while trying to find the joy in it and if there's meaning behind the struggles.

Quade does an amazing job sprinkling humor and hope throughout this story that has its fair share of disappointments, anger, and tragedy. I frequently say this in my book reviews: I love stories that reflect the complexity of real, honest life. And this novel does a stellar job of that. For all the messiness and challenges of teen pregnancy, sexuality, alcoholism, societal strictures and prejudices, and cancer, there are things--real-life miracles--that shine shards of light through. Angel's maturity. Yolanda's strength. Amadeo's ability to keep dusting himself off and trying again. All are ever hopeful for love and redemption.

This book also helped me examine my own faith, which I've been struggling with the last few years. With the world so full of pain, tragedy, evil, and heartache--and the glare of the spotlight put on these things by the news and social media--it's hard to find and hold onto the higher meaning of it all. To believe there even is one. It's all so overwhelming (the last three years, especially so) that it's hard to see the miracles in the drudgery of everyday life...it's hard to hold onto hope. Quade--and the Padilla family she lovingly and vividly created--reminded me that the duality of earthly existence IS the main message of any religion or faith and that of the story of Jesus's life on Earth. With tragedy comes joy, with struggles come miracles, with hate comes love. Wounds hurt but they also heal.