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.”
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Julie Zuckerman, author of The Book of Jeremiah