Victor, a rich, 73 year old man on the threshold of death, lies in a hospital in New Orleans, a victim of a heart attack. This book looks into his life and into the lives of his family: wife, Barbra, daughter Alex, and son Gary.Alex has flown to New Orleans to be with her mother, and she presses her mother about what crimes and misdeeds her father did during their years in Connecticut, and especially wants to know why Barbra stayed with him, since he was so abusive. Barbra, on the other hand, wants Alex to make her peace with her father.
Gary, staying in Los Angeles, is trying to find work as an assistant director of television programming. He struggles with whether or not to return to see his father before he dies. Meanwhile, his wife, Twyla, is in New Orleans, struggling with her own demons.
The story abounds with multifaceted characters and rings true, although it's hard to square why Barbra did stay with Victor. Then again, that's often true in abusive relationships. It was hard to put this book down.
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