I have no idea how the author ever plotted this book! It is so convoluted and complex. Each chapter is the story of a different person, although the three main characters have repeating chapters. Not only that, but each chapter is told in a different year, with some years reappearing multiple times. No, these years are not in chronological order. Yes, you have to figure out as you read this book how each of the characters is related to one another. This is not an easy task as there are quite a few different characters, and many of them will not be to your liking.

The premise of the book is based on the accidental drowning of Sammy Henderson who falls through the frozen ice of a Colorado lake. He had run fearfully from his girlfriend's house before her dad would find Sammy with his daughter. Sadly, Sammy's 14-year-old girlfriend Irene is left pregnant. The main characters of this novel are three women of two different generations. It seems that they mostly deal with men who disappoint them, Amazingly, the story works out in a well planned way, and all of the loose ends are neatly wrapped up by novel's end.

Kudos to the author not only for writing such a complicated story, but also for engaging me in a novel that is not the kind of fiction I usually read! ( )