Webster is a paramedic. He becomes involved with a woman who he met on one of his calls. I say “met,” but really, he pulled her out of a car wreck. It was her fault; she was drinking. They end up married and parents. Except Sheila has a drinking problem and eventually leaves Webster and their daughter, Rowan. Fast forward until Rowan’s a teenager. She’s going off the rails and Webster has to find Sheila to enlist her help in saving their daughter. (This is all information that’s on the back of the book, so while it sounds like I’ve given the entire book away, I really haven’t.)

I find that I tend to either love or strongly dislike Anita Shreve’s novels. Her books seem to not have a “it was okay” option for me. This was one I loved.

I love books that focus on families and this is definitely a great example of that. Watching Sheila get to know Rowan again was sweet and sad, and I’m always a fan of teenagers behaving badly (in books).

I thought that the part with Webster and Sheila dating and then getting married and having Rowan was about the perfect length. It showed everything we needed to see. But the second part–the present day part—should have been longer. It would have been nice to see why Rowan was having problems and what was behind them. Was it growing up without a mom? Peer pressure? Her dad’s stressful job, which meant a ton of time alone? All of the above?

A great read, and definitely recommended for book clubs.