Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this touching book by Kaya McLaren - 4.5 stars!
The day Amy found out she had cancer, she also found out that her husband was contemplating divorce. Nine months later, Amy has undergone a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and a subsequent hysterectomy. She is understandably lost, scared and reevaluating her entire life. Husband Paul is dealing with his own trauma after being one of the police officers on the scene of the Oklahoma Federal Building bombing. Their daughter, Carly, always tried to do the right things and had her path planned out. Amy's cancer changed her as well and she started acting out. Paul takes Carly to Amy's great aunt's house who runs a horse ranch to spend the summer away from her friends to hopefully straighten her out. Meanwhile, Amy seeks solace in nature, having grown up visiting the national parks and monuments with her dad and sister.
Told in alternating viewpoints of each of these three family members, this is a very moving, real story about how trauma affects everyone in a family. It's also about facing and moving forward from trauma in real, positive ways. The author herself had breast cancer and you feel the true emotions come through Amy's experiences. You also feel her strength and resolve. It's also a love letter to our country's national parks and monuments.
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