This is a story about secrets and not being honest about your true intentions or thoughts. This family of six: Marilyn (mom), James (dad), Nathan, Hannah, and Lydia experiences a loss of a family member. Lydia, a young teenage girl who accidentally died in a lake near her home. In the wake of her death, the family moves through a lot of changes and plays the game of "whose fault is it."

This book was also set in the '70s and I had a lot of personal reflection in my head because of who I thought represented interracial couples at the time. Often times when I thought of interracial marriages, I thought of a Black and White person during those times. However, this book introduced Marylin (White Woman) and James (Chinese Man) and how their difficulties caused them to go on extremes when finding their mates. James wanted to be with a woman who blends in and kept telling his children "you need to be liked and be sociable in order to fit in." Meanwhile being a woman in the '70s had its own set of challenges and Marilyn wanted her children to stand out.

Although Lydia and her motives for being dead, her father's infidelity, her mother's not truly knowing her daughter...etc., I found myself most intrigued by Hannah, her younger little sister. I believe that Hannah was placed in the room in the attic and unseen by her family for years because she was born at an inopportune time. She was born at a time where Marilyn decided that having children and being a housewife was not the life for her. She wanted to take back her life and finish school.

I often found myself drawn and pulled to the underdog, Hannah. Hannah character showed such grace and logic that I could not believe existed in such a small human. More often than not in the book, Hannah was more of an adult than her siblings or parents. Every time her family ignored her, shushed her away, or when she went into her room in the attic my heartfelt her. I think her character really ties the entire story together. Must read!