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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Barely any
Mild; the quiet violence of family dysfunction
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Barely any
Brief adult content
Substance Use
A lot
Significant; alcoholism is central to the patriarch's life and the family's history
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Significant; generational damage, unspoken resentments, and the psychological cost of loving an alcoholic parent
What this book is about
Janet Peery's literary novel follows the Mabry family as they gather around their dying patriarch — a man whose long life has been shaped and limited by alcohol — and as four decades of wrong turns, resentments, and the particular damage done by a family that loves but cannot quite reach each other all surface at once. Peery writes about family with unsentimental precision and genuine compassion.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Alcoholism central to family dynamics
End of life and death themes
Reader Verification
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