Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop at Water’s End, here is a lush, heart-wrenching novel about the power of memory, the meaning of family, and learning to forgive.

Ten years ago, Lena Donohue experienced a wedding-day betrayal so painful that she fled the small town of Watersend, South Carolina, and reinvented herself in New York City. Though now a freelance travel writer, the one place she rarely goes is home—until she learns of her dad’s failing health.

Returning to Watersend means seeing the sister she has avoided for a decade and the brother who runs the family’s Irish pub and has borne the burden of his sisters’ rift. While Alzheimer’s slowly steals their father’s memories, the siblings rush to preserve his life in stories and in photographs. As his secret past brings Lena’s own childhood into focus, it sends her on a journey to discover the true meaning of home.

Review

Lena’s sister betrayed her on her wedding day. Leans runs away to the big city of NYC and does not speak to her sister for over a decade. She receives a call from her brother begging her to come home. Her dad is going downhill and he needs her. Lena is unsure how to even deal with going home. But, her dad is her rock. So she heads home to hopefully heal her family.

I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed this read. I read it on the plane to BookExpo. I was so engrossed in Lena’s story. Lena is escaping a hurt. Maybe she should have stuck it out to help keep her family ties together. But, it just was not in her. Lena has to come to terms with her sister, her hurt, and her ex-fiancé. This is easier said than done. And her sister does not make it easy!

This is not just a story about betrayal. It is a story about love, healing, and family! Captivating, heartbreaking, engrossing…I could go on and on. Patti Callahan Henry hit it out of the park with this one.

I received this novel from Tandem Literary for a honest review.

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