The Sweetness of Slat by Cecilia Galante 309 pages

Julia should be having the greatest summer of her life. She has just graduated as class valedictorian and she will be off to college in a pre-law program after completing an internship arranged by her father. On graduation night, her older sister Sophia returns for a brief visit and tells her that her parents are hiding a big secret from her about something that happened to the family before Julia was born and they lived in a different town. Sophia gets into an argument with their parents. She gives Julia keys to a car for her graduation present along with an invitation to visit her at her new home where she will be opening her own bakery. Julia's father confesses that they had had another child who died of asthma. Julia is shocked and decides to visit her sister and find out the rest of the story. There is much more to the story. This novel emphasizes the importance of open communication within a family and how secrets can poison and stunt family members. I especially enjoyed the author's depiction of the family Sophia created for herself in Poultney and the courage she had in reaching out to her younger sister.