Set in the American Midwest and Southwest, the novel opens in 1976 when the young teenage protagonist, Erica, is in a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. In the present day, Erica, now in her fifties, takes a phone call at work telling her that her mother has died. From this point, the story moves backwards in time, with each chapter shedding light—and dramatic irony—on those that follow. This mother-daughter relationship seesaws between cooperation and opposition; they are best friends and worst enemies; their conversations have an unflinching intensity and an emotional punch.
