Life and Other Inconveniences

Starred review from June 24, 2019
Higgins’s deeply moving contemporary story of three generations of strong-willed women doesn’t allow anyone to be a simple hero or villain. Emma London’s estranged paternal grandmother, wealthy entrepreneur Genevieve London, has terminal cancer and wants Emma to return home to Stoningham, Conn., and reconcile with her. Genevieve raised Emma after her mother committed suicide and her father left. When Emma got pregnant at 18, Genevieve kicked her out of her house, and Emma went to live with her maternal grandfather, Paul, who helped her raise her daughter, Riley. Emma is shaken by hearing from Genevieve, who hasn’t said a word to her in the 16 years since Riley was born; she consults with well-adjusted Riley, who decides they should at least visit Stoningham for the summer. Emma, Riley, and Paul quickly learn that Genevieve is as bitter and aristocratic as ever, but Genevieve and Riley form an instant bond, and Genevieve respects Riley’s intelligent, confident nature. Meanwhile, Emma falls for Genevieve’s neighbor, Miller Finlay, a widower with a challenging three-year-old. Readers will be riveted as the well-drawn characters uncover one another’s hidden depths and heal old wounds. This rich and memorable story will instantly win readers over. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency.

Barbara Caruso, Suzy Jackson, Dion Graham, and Xe Sands provide a delightful narration that leaves listeners wondering if they've stumbled into a friend's family squabble. As a child, Emma London was left to be raised by her blue-blooded grandmother, handbag magnate Genevieve London, who ultimately abandoned her when she became a teenage mother. Now, two decades later, Emma is shocked when Genevieve demands that her granddaughter return home to care for her as she dies. Sands's performance leaves listeners feeling like they are listening to a good friend unload a difficult but deeply engaging life story. Dion Graham's warm voice is always a delight, and Barbara Caruso is stunning as the aging matriarch. V.B. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine