"For Susan Green, messy emotions don't fit into the equation of her perfectly ordered life. She has a flat that is ideal for one, a job that suits her passion for logic and an 'interpersonal arrangement' that provides cultural and other, more intimate, benefits. But suddenly confronted with the loss of her mother and the news that she is about to become a mother herself, Susan's greatest fear is realized. She is losing control. When she learns that...

As the emotions of the past reverberate into the present, the Season sisters, Jillian, Beatrice, and Rose, attend their younger sister's funeral and begin a cross-country journey in search of a stranger who has the power to mend their shattered lives.

At turns heartwarming and horrifying, this strange and funny novel deals with the terror of losing one's family and the extreme measures people will take to hold on. Jackie and her crush, Ann, both have odd family situations: Jackie's mother, although dead from cancer, is a ghost that only Jackie can see, while Ann's mother and sister have turned into such violent creatures they need to be kept in the basement and fed living animals. Meanwhile, old...

In 2005, celebrated novelist Francisco Goldman married Aura Estrada at a Mexican hacienda. More than twenty years his junior, Aura was a gifted young writer on the cusp of her own brilliant career, and the two were deeply in love. Then, a month before their second anniversary, Aura broke her neck bodysurfing while they were on vacation. Goldman was blamed by Aura's family-and crippled by his own grief and self-recrimination. In the aftermath of the...

"Meet Ollie. He's eleven years old. He loves rules, has memorized every world capital and every soccer player in the Premier League, and hasn't yet met a Killer Sodoku puzzle he can't solve. He hates being asked two questions at once, or when grown-ups use words with double meanings. He loves his family fiercely, but sometimes he cannot control his temper. And now, he must face a sudden tragedy for which there is no solution. When Ollie's happy-go-lucky,...

After their mother's death on Christmas Day five years ago, Will and Ella Sullivan, and their father, Henry, come to a family agreement: Christmas is a holiday for other people. At their brownstone in Harlem, stockings go unstuffed, tinsel unstrewn, gifts unbought, mistletoe unhung, chestnuts unroasted, carols unplayed, cookies uncooked, a tree un-visible, and guests uninvited. Until this year. Until guests start arriving anyway. In pairs and sixes,...

"He promised her he would never let go. She's willing to risk everything to hold on. In the aftermath of her husband's logging accident, Elsa has more questions than answers about how to carry on while caring for their two small children in the unfinished house he was building for them in the woods of rural Wisconsin. To cope with the challenges of winter and the near-daily miscommunications from her in-laws, she forges her own relationship with the...

Anna McNichol knows how to take charge. Raised by a single mother, she's worked to ensure her three children have every advantage she didn't. And while her marriage has its problems, she values commitment and believes in 'till death do us part.' Now an empty nester, she's at the peak of her career and ready to seize the opportunity to focus on her future. But life can change in an instant, and when her husband dies suddenly, Anna's carefully constructed...

After the tragic death of her boyfriend Alex, Sarah finds comfort in nightly talks with Jake, Alex's friend, but when their growing closeness turns into something more, they wonder if they're betraying Alex--and if their relationship is worth fighting for.