Plot Summary: What happens, When & Where, Central Characters, Major Conflicts
Jana returns from a mission trip to Africa to find the shock of her life. Puzzled that her Pastor-husband isn't there to meet her, she takes a taxi home and finds an empty house--and a note. Her husband has run off with the church secretary and left her alone--and pregnant (he didn't know about the baby, she just found out and was planning to tell him when she returned from her trip). He also cleared out their savings account and took her jewelry and since they lived in the Church parsonage she must leave by the end of the week. Seems the church has already found a new pastor, and while some of the members are very kind to her, Jana feels that she has to leave. She calls her mother Eleanor and packs up to go live with her and her Great-Aunt Fanny up north. However, she and her mother have never gotten along, and Jana finds that her new situation is causing them all to face painful secrets from their past, secrets that have been buried for far too long.

Style Characterisics: Pacing, clarity, structure, narrative devices, etc.
The story switches points of view once Jana is with her mother, which allows us to hear Eleanor's story. It flashes back to when she was a little girl growing up in a hippie commune with two very unconventional parents. Peterson's story flows through these transitions smoothly, and the main characters of Jana, Eleanor, and Aunt Taffy all get a chance to share painful episodes from the past. The amount of trauma revealed seems almost unbelievable, Peterson definately gives her characters plenty of emotional baggage to work through. Utimately their faith is able to help them make some breakthroughs and start healing. Taffy is a particularly endearing character, a spunky senior with a no holds barred attitude on life.

How Good is it?
A nice way to explore the painful issues of marital seperation, abuse, infidelity, etc. In a story with a somewhat "happy" ending. However, the issues seem forced upon the story and the ending too typical abd neatly resolved. ( )