A totally satisfying read

Beautifully written, marvelously observed gripping story, but horribly off nevertheless. The protagonist runs away from even the whiff of confrontation or difficulty and can't manage to concentrate on or listen to the simplest, most direct pleas for help. Why is this sympathetic rather than merely trying? How has her husband, who, admittedly, can't talk to her, betrayed her by "judging her with his silences"? All right, he doesn't know how to reach her, which feels cruel. But it seems to me that her incompetence, manic style, and utter forgetfulness of others' needs are a greater betrayal, especially since they lead to a child's death. And when this woman is unjustly tried for child abuse and viciously ostracized, the pair of them actually detest her lawyer for defending her too vigorously. He, the lawyer, is made out to be the villain, when he's the one who saves her from jail and the possibility that her children might grow up without her. This author writes brilliantly, but where is her moral compass in this tale of modern morals?

Not cheerful, but engrossing & couldn't put it down! Memorable.

This book is about a family and how they cope with the tragic drowning of a friend's daughter in their pond. Definitely not a cheerful light read.