One of the signs of a good book, to me, is the idea that I care about the characters. I normally read Christian fiction and non-fiction, although I have long been a Stephen King fan, and I am unapologetically a Christian. So, when I found myself wanting to share the hope and joy that these characters could find in Christ, I knew that their pain was coming through loud and clear, which meant, by my standards, this was a good book.

The story is one of significant sorrow, of the breaches that develop in families over the long and short term, and the ways in which those we are most closely related to find us the most repulsive. As the Frankel family reconvenes to memorialize, after one year, the youngest sibling of the family, they each bring their own brand of tragedy to the Berkshires with them. All have been affected, all have been changed, and all are trying to come to terms with the idea of living without Leo in their respective worlds.

Joshua writes this story as though he were a journalist, recording the events as though they were happening right in front of him, being real and honest about the intensity that is family, whether at war or at peace. If you have ever had someone you are related to stomp out of the house in the middle of a game of charades, or been overwhelmed with the idea of spending an afternoon with your sibling in a car, or thought that your every word was being scrutinized by your super smart brother in law, or wondered if your parents truly liked your spouse, you will certainly find no shortage of persons to relate to in Joshua’s book. I don’t know that I liked all of them, but I definitely recognized them. This is a book where the story is defined by how well you recognize these people, because if you don’t you won’t see the raw hurt for what it is. Once you see them, you will see yourself, and once you do that, you will be moved.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.