When Ben Hamilton calls his twin sister, Reese, to tell her their father has cancer, she drops everything and races back to their childhood home in Nebraska. A few days later—and thirteen years since walking out of their lives without a word—their estranged mother, Bernice, arrives unannounced on their doorstep at 10 p.m. exactly with three suitcases, Rocky the Chihuahua sitting high in her fuchsia purse, and mascara running down her cheeks. Over the following months, the Hamiltons begrudgingly grow reacquainted with each other, confront their past and explore a possible future, with a little help from Guru Carl, J. R. R. Tolkien, and a rusty VW van named Ernie. As Reese cares for her father and grapples with her feelings for the woman formerly known as Mom, she must also make a choice between two talented men, as well as a decision about her next step in her photography career. This alternately hilarious and heartbreaking novel pulls no punches in its exploration of forgiveness, love, loss, and the unexpected beauty of the people who share the same DNA.
Layne James: I would give Bryony 10 out of 5 stars if I could! She is professional and warm, an excellent communicator and an empathetic editor. My co-author and I have been working with her for the last several months and have probably sent each other 100 texts saying how much we love her and how grateful we are to have found her. I can not overstate that she has been the best part of our book journey. Bryony is an incredible editor and human. She pushed us to make our book stronger, and some of my favorite parts in our story are a direct result of her influence and insight. She is detailed to the max and went over and beyond in every aspect of her job with us. Emails from her make me smile—and often laugh. I’ll stop raving now so you can go hire her yourself. Do it and you’ll be thanking yourself for the next ten years.