Lillian Stoney Alexander cares for her ailing father, Graham, in his closing days. But it surely’s his funeral that reignites her need to be taught particularly how her mom, Ivy, died 27 years earlier. Lillian, who was solely 6 years outdated on the time, can’t keep in mind something past Ivy’s apparently deadly accident at their Charleston, South Carolina, ancestral dwelling. However who’s the mysterious lady at Graham’s funeral, and why is Lillian solely simply now assembly her godmother and Ivy’s greatest pal, Alice Browder? Lillian finally finds a thumb drive containing Graham’s memoir. In an accompanying be aware, he declares his hope that it’s going to stoke Lillian’s recollections in addition to assist make peace along with her long-hated, designer sister, Layla. His story begins throughout his first yr as a Faculty of Charleston professor, when he initially encountered the daughter of rich Edward Stoney. There was nothing typical about Graham’s eventual relationship with Ivy, from his marriage proposal to the births of their daughters. And what awaits Lillian is a collection of disconcerting revelations, even earlier than her recollections resurface. Farley’s characters aren’t straightforward to love. Their lives are teeming with deceit and animus whereas love isn’t at all times reciprocated. However the story is endlessly intriguing, with sufficient plot turns that readers who predict one or two should still be stunned. There’s likewise terrific melodrama: The sisters battle about promoting their million-dollar childhood property, and Lillian’s ex-fiance, Marcus Mullaly, reenters her life. In the meantime, the enchantment of some characters shines by way of, significantly creative, typically withdrawn Lillian, and the household’s immutable housekeeper, Trudy Jackson, who’s each the protagonist’s shut pal and her surrogate mom. The ending befits this real looking portrayal of affection, household, and all of the problems these two typically engender.
