Carmen, Dee Dee, and Elise don't seem to have much in common when they meet at yoga class, but after a bit of chatting they realize that the one thing they do share is a struggle to go through the belongings of their late mothers. The three form a pact to help each other clear out the old boxes (and, in one case, a whole condo) of their mothers, helping each other with both the physical and emotional labor involved. As they begin their tasks, each woman must deal with revelations, sometimes shocking, and come to grips with who her mother really was.
I appreciate what Williams is doing by showing these women shouldering the burden of dealing with what a loved one has left behind — after all, don't we all end up taking on that job at some point? — and the stories told here are all valid and intriguing. That said, they fit together a bit clumsily, particularly considering that the whole book takes place over the course of a few weeks. I'm just not sure I buy the friendships coalescing quite so quickly and solidly to enable sharing long-buried secrets so freely. But it was a quick read, and definitely offers an easy path toward something we'll all have to deal with, so...
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