A bit plodding in parts, fairly low key and depressing too, however, strangely enough I enjoyed the story. I also thought the writing was good ( )

I loved this book, although it's a little bit difficult to understand why. None of the characters is like me, in fact all the main players are female and much younger than me. I did feel that all the characters were highly believable, and I very much liked Laura. I suppose she's the sort of person I could imagine myself being if I hadn't been born male. Parent-child relationships are always high up in my topics of interest and the mother-daughter relationship in this book is really the central element. My own mother just recently died (as did Laura's mother) so there's another connection which resonated with me. Laura's relationships also drew me into this story and the men, although not presented in much depth, were flawed in a very realistic way. Every single person and situation rang true, suggesting that Elisa Lodato is an astute observer of the world. I have unhesitatingly added her second novel to my wishlist - and I am pleased to see that my local library has a copy! ( )