An upstanding resident who knows EVERYTHING about what's going on in her small upstate New York town of Clapham, Astrid is the mother of three grown children — Elliot, Porter, and Nicky — all of whom have complex relationships with Astrid. Single-mom-to-be Porter runs her own dairy in Clapham, and Elliot's still there too, trying to live up to the expectations of his late father. Meanwhile, although Nicky left home right out of high school, he turns to his mom to take over when his teenage daughter has some trouble at her Brooklyn school. Astrid agrees, despite the fact that she's still reeling from witnessing a fatal accident and subsequently reexamining her own life. Soon Nicky's daughter is living in Clapham, and is clearly the most grown-up person in the family, despite being one of the youngest.
I love a good dysfunctional family story, and this book certainly fits the bill. That said, I'm not sure how much I like any of the adult characters, all of whom needed a good smack upside the head for one reason or another. (Nicky's daughter, Cecelia, and her new friend, August, though? LOVED them.) There's a lot to think about in this book, particularly about failure and communication. I'd be interested to check in on this family again in a few years to see what new problems they have.
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