Stirring ... Johnson masterfully lays breadcrumbs throughout the novel that resonate once Charlotte’s backstory emerges in a genuinely unexpected and meaningful fashion ... At times, Johnson’s decision to bounce back and forth among the four women’s points of view and time periods... can stall the narrative ... Still, one can’t help but cheer when these women do manage to reach one another’s hearts.
Deeply satisfying ... Johnson brings new life to the age-old theme of a family’s cyclical dysfunction, and the narrative is packed with stunning self-reflections.
The story takes a lively tour of the complexities of family ... This is not a subtle book... but it moves briskly. It is wise to class markers and human contradiction.
