When an estranged mother reappears after thirteen years, a dysfunctional family is forced to confront the past in this absorbing novel of love and forgiveness. When twenty-five-year-old Ben Hamilton calls his twin sister, Reese, to tell her their father has cancer, she drops everything and races back to their childhood home in Nebraska. A few days later―and thirteen years since walking out of their lives without a word―their estranged mother, Bernice, arrives on the doorstep. She has three suitcases, Rocky the Chihuahua sitting in her fuchsia purse, and mascara running down her cheeks. Over the following months, the Hamiltons begrudgingly grow reacquainted with each other, confront their past and explore a possible future, with a little help from Guru Carl, J. R. R. Tolkien, and a rusty VW van named Ernie. As Reese cares for her father and grapples with her feelings for the woman formerly known as Mom, she must also make a choice between two talented men, as well as a decision about her next step in her photography career. This hilarious and heartbreaking novel pulls no punches in its exploration of forgiveness, love, loss, and the unexpected beauty of the people who share the same DNA.
