"Tender and unsparing, this is a novel to hold onto." —Crystal Hana Kim, author of If You Leave Me
"A masterfully written novel, alive and lyrical, a hypnotic rendering of the mess and the tenderness of family life."
—Claire Lombardo, author of The Most Fun We Ever Had

A novel about family secrets and a volatile relationship between a mother and her daughters.
When Anna's sister calls with an urgent message, Anna doesn't return the call. She knows it's about their mother.
Growing up in working class Boston in an Italian American family, Anna's childhood was sparse but comfortable—filled with homemade pasta sauce and a close-knit neighborhood. Anna and her sisters are devoted to their mother, orbiting her like the sun, trying to keep up with her loving but mercurial nature as she bounces between tenderness and bitterness.

When their father gets a new job outside the...