We never get to meet the judge himself, as he has died shortly before the book begins, but we do get to know him through “his girls” — his daughter Maya, his second (much younger) wife Jeanie, and her daughter Ryder. And don’t forget the aunts - they were magnificent! I loved the way these characters - all of them - grew as the book progressed. I started off really disliking Jeanie, and by the end of the book I was rooting for her all the way. What would have become of her if Maya hadn’t forced her into rehab? Or, if Vic hadn’t been her room mate there. The combination of rehab counseling and Vic’s counseling, is what saved her from herself.
The book deals with grief in its many forms, and alcoholism - but for all that, it’s not a depressing book at all. And when I think about where the main characters were in their lives at the beginning of the book, and where they were by the end, wow!
The book deals with grief in its many forms, and alcoholism - but for all that, it’s not a depressing book at all. And when I think about where the main characters were in their lives at the beginning of the book, and where they were by the end, wow!