Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: December 8, 2022

Length: 368 pages, paperback

I received this book directly from the author.

A father unexpectedly dies leaving his family to work through all the details of his death. It is no easy matter to stop the minutiae of a person’s life. Bank, house, bills, funeral service, cat, and the treasured items from their father’s life must all be dealt with. Max, Ellie, and Nathan also have to decide how to handle this inheritance their father has left them. Is it a true gift or a massive problem? The siblings don’t agree, of course. Max and Ellie have spouses. Does the spouse’s opinion count in this decision? Amidst all this turmoil, they also have the funeral to plan. Did they really know their father? Why did their mother leave their father? Can their mother offer them any insight into their father? Is it even proper to ask? Max’s wife, Caro, and Ellie have been friends since childhood. As adults, they still cherish their bonds. The stress of dealing with all things related to death has caused fractures in their friendship. It is slipping away and they begin wondering how well they know each other. How will this family at odds with each other finally manage the inheritance?

Imogen Clark is one of my favorite authors. She has such an innate ability to capture and insightfully describe emotion. Each of her books demonstrates this unique ability, this book is another wonderful example. She delves into the complexities of family relationships. Families are tricky, past wounds and slights color every action. Clark masterfully portrays the siblings’ behavior showing how they subtly compete with each other. The criticisms over parenting style are realistic and amusing. Who hasn’t criticized their siblings parenting from time to time? Max and Ellie are terrific characters, I didn’t feel that there was enough about Nathan to know him well. Does death fracture a family further or will it ultimately lead to the closeness they had as children? Imogen Clark walks us through this difficult time in a family’s life with circumstances we can all relate to.

My Rating:🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻/5