Brenda Lockhart’s family has been living well beyond their means for too long when Brenda’s husband leaves them―for an older and less attractive woman than Brenda, no less.
Brenda has never worked outside the home, and the family’s economic situation quickly declines. Oldest daughter Peggy is certain she’s heading off to a university, until her father offers her a job sorting mail while she attends community college instead. Younger daughter Allison, a high school senior, can’t believe her luck that California golden boy Kevin has fallen in love with her.
Meanwhile, the chatter about the O. J. Simpson murder investigations is always on in the background, a media frenzy that underscores domestic violence against women and race and class divisions in Southern California.
Brenda, increasingly obsessed with the case, is convinced O. J. is innocent and has been framed by the Los Angeles Police Department. Both daughters are more interested in their own lives―that is, until Peggy starts noticing bruises Allison can’t explain.
For a while, it feels to everyone as if the family is falling apart, but in the end, things come together in unexpected ways.
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“The Lockhart women make mistake after mistake in this delightful debut novel, but that’s part of their charm. Touching on themes of motherhood, fidelity, and responsibility, this is a coming-of-age tale for both Brenda and her daughters.”
— Julie Zuckerman, author of The Book of Jeremiah
“This is a gripping, sometimes funny, novel that will keep you turning the pages.”
— San Francisco Book Review“The author uses the Simpson trial as an indicator for Brenda’s growth…Peggy and Allison aren’t always likable, either, but they also learn to make better decisions, and the novel’s ending is a satisfying one.”
— Kirkus Reviews“Camarillo’s prose is lively, companionable, and quite satisfyingly observant in ways that surprise and delight.”
— Richard Bausch, author of PeaceBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Mary Camarillo went to work for the Postal Service after high school. It might be genetic; both her grandfathers were railway mail clerks. Her short stories and poems have been published in the Sonora Review, the Bookends Review, Lunch Ticket, and The Ear, among others. She lives in Huntington Beach, California, with her husband, who plays ukulele, and their terrorist cat, Riley, who has his own Instagram account.
Kirsten Potter has won several awards, including more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a three-time finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. Her work has been recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and by AudioFile magazine, among many others. She graduated with highest honors from Boston University and has performed on stage and in film and television, including roles on Medium, Bones, and Judging Amy.