The Underside of Joy: A Novel
Books / Paperback
Books › Fiction › Family Life › General
ISBN: 0452298733 / Publisher: Plume, November 2012
In the aftermath of her husband's drowning death, Ella's initial support from her in-laws dissolves as secrets and family tragedies are revealed in the wake of a bitter custody battle against her stepchildren's biological mother.
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“[An] exquisite debut . . . moving and hopeful.” –People Style Watch To Ella Beene, happiness means living in the Northern California river town of Elbow, California, with her husband Joe and his two young children. But one summer day Joe drowns, leaving Ella alone with Annie and Zach—until his ex-wife, Paige, shows up at the funeral. For three years, Ella believed that Paige had selfishly abandoned her family. Yet—as the custody fight between mother and stepmother ensues—Ella realizes there may be more to the story than Joe ever revealed. The Underside of Joy is not a fairy-tale version of step-motherhood, pitting good against evil, but a captivating story of two women who both claim to be the mother of the same two children.
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