Josh Billings (1818 - 1885) In an elegantly written and quietly compelling first novel, Sarah Foulger examines the familial struggle with the appearance that all is well. When a series of traumas befall the "perfect" family, the repercussions are both subtle and devastating. In an idyllic south shore Long Island beach town Stephen and Corrine Quintal both have successful and fulfilling careers. Their two daughters, Jane and Helen, are intelligent and insightful teenagers. Family members appear to be bonded to one another but in a universe that revolves around Stephen. Caught up in their busy lives surrounded by a suburban sameness, where family values are assumed but where loyalty, care, and love are taken for granted, the Quintal family reaches a precarious point in their lives where, much to their surprise, their tacit unity is at risk. When it is discovered that Stephen has failed his family, the women in his life, including his much-too-young mistress Nadine, confront their anguish alone, straining their ability to cope. Forced to realize their own limitations, each undergoes an enlargement of spirit and courage. Sin, betrayal, and distrust bring disillusionment but eventually, each tries, in their own way, to walk a path toward forgiveness and reconciliation. Sarah Foulger connects the reader to a world of characters that are familiar, their predicaments all too common, and their search for answers universal. [close]