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It's not easy to be someone you believe you're not. While it is very true that we are products of our culture, we are also individuals, and sometimes an individual's personality chafes against the bindings of society. During the fifties, American women were still expected to be homemakers while their men carved out careers for themselves. To defy these roles took courage, stubbornness, and a willingness to press through the social stigma to find personal fulfillment and success. Foolish mistakes made along the way can also change everything and shake up our notions about who we are and what we really want out of life. Lucia Simmons, the author's well-drawn protagonist, discovers these truths for herself in Gaylord's compelling new novel.
The book begins with a reluctant Lucia getting married to a man she doesn't really love. What she does love is her job as an assistant editor, and her affection for it over Jason soon leads to his affair and their divorce. Yet freeing herself from her husband doesn't mean that her career is assured, especially when a spur-of-the-moment fling with her Mexican divorce attorney results in an unplanned pregnancy. The event causes a sudden course shift that will propel her and those around her into a future that looks incredibly different from the one she once imagined for herself.
Gaylord's well-written story revolves around family, secrets, and the high cost of infidelity. It is also a tale of how two siblings, despite differences in age and outlook, struggle to look after each other when their personal failings threaten to destroy all that they love.