Given the current divorce rate and the ever-changing roles of women in contemporary society, the story of one woman's marital crisis and the resulting journey of self-discovery will resonate in the lives of many readers. As her only child leaves home and her husband abandons her for a younger woman, Annie Colwater must come to terms with her loss and reinvent her life. Through Annie's experiences and those of the two wounded characters with whom she joins forces, the novel tackles a number of other issues as well, among them suicide, alcoholism, domestic violence, drug addiction, and blended families.

Annie's shifting perception of her own role is the novel's main focus. Raised by her father after the death of her mother, Annie escaped her hometown of Mystic, Washington, when she went off to Stanford. Rather than pursuing her own dreams of becoming a writer or opening...