Kirsten's idilic life as the youngest daughter of a farming family in rural WI comes crashing down when her brother's girlfriend goes missing. He was the last one to see her, and to make matters worse she disappeared during a snowstorm. The Mourning Hours traces the family's journey as they come to terms with the tragedy and gradually drift apart. Then years later they are drawn back together . . .

Kirsten's nine year self seems a bit to adult (our group decided she must be looking back at the story now that she is an adult). The action is extremely slow in the first part of the book and extremely detailed so it's really jarring when you reach the action packed barely detailed ending. All in all an interesting look at how something ripped out of the headlines might actually effect a family.