This is a book about desire and unspoken truths.

It was a great book to read during the last couple of days of Summer -- the hazy Texas heat mirrored the sticky, suffocating heat the characters experienced in their countryside vacation.

I enjoyed the mother-daughter aspect of the story taking place simultaneously in 1973 and in the 1990s as they both come of age in the same country house and experience desire, hope, confusion and fear. Each chapter is from a different perspective, sometimes overlapping where the other person left off in the previous chapter or filling in the gaps of how the other character felt during a part of the story.

You know early on that something terrible happened in the Summer of '73 which deeply impacted Ruth, the mother, and set the course for the events in 1990. You also get the feeling that another terrible occurrence will happen int he present (the 90s) that will also impact the characters and change the course of the story.

I enjoyed that Healey didn't give everything away all at once. You get flashes of the horrible thing that happened in the past, but it doesn't all come together until the end, when past and present collide.

There are some uncomfortable situations and discussions around sexuality, su*cide, adult/minor relationships/grooming so that is something to note.