This is the story of three sisters, all broken after a horrific childhood. When Beth, the middle child, contacted her two sisters to notify them of their mother's passing, it opened up a whole lot of wounds that all three had suppressed.
Three sisters, all living in the same hell and all bore the scars of that childhood with an unbelievably cruel mother. The actions of one terrible parent shaped the three sisters' lives. Catherine, the oldest, the over-achiever, measures her self worth by her accomplishments; successful in her profession but feels detached from her children. After one quick action that mirrored her mother, she is shocked into examining who she is and why. Alex, the youngest, is a train wreck. She's become an alcoholic and destroys everything that's good in her life. She's angry at everyone, including Catherine, who she feels abandoned them.
And Beth, the middle child, she's the one who stayed, she didn't escape. She's the one scarred the most, yet she's blacked it out and doesn't remember. The three hadn't had any contact for many years but their mother's death brought them back together.
This story was so emotional and moving. My heart broke for those three little girls and what their life was like. Who we become is shaped by the events in our past and all three sisters, scarred by their childhood, carried those wounds into adulthood. Is it ever too late to "fix" them, can they ever heal?
I had such anger towards the mother. Why would she have children since she clearly had no maternal desire? And where was the father in all this? He left but how could anyone leave their children in her care?
This book was such an engrossing but shocking and sad story and I couldn't put it down. 41/2 for me. This is the first book I have read by this author and it definitely won't be the last. ( )