Set in the American mid and south-west, 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 it follows. 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.
