"And it was weird, she thought, feeling adult and aware, how a thing so terrible as losing someone could yield goodness in the ones who were left.“

The synopsis of this book was uniquely appealing to me: multigenerational family drama, spanning decades, set in Chicagoland! I am glad I finally read it, as I enjoyed becoming completely immersed in the Sorensen clan.

Peppered with poignant and familiar scenes of life, Lombardo’s writing is sharp with characters that leap off the page. To that end, I’m not sure I would recommend this novel to folks who have a hard time with really flawed/unlikable characters. I usually don’t have a problem with it, especially when the writer can illustrate why they are flawed. But it took a long time to come to the realizations about why some of the characters were kind of awful in this book. This story requires some patience and probably could have been edited down from it’s 600+ pages.

If you like a slow burn, character driven, and intricate family saga, I highly recommend this novel. Also recommend if you loved Ask Again, Yes or A Place for Us - they’re very similar in scope and tone.